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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



MEMOIRS 

OF THE 

LIFE AND WRITINGS 

OF THE 
LATE VICE-PROVOST OF THE COLLEGE OF FORT WILLIAM: 

BY THE REV. HUGH PEARSON, D. D. 

DEAN OF SALISBURY. 
WITH NOTES RELATIVE TO THE 

^ AND 

AN INTRODUCTION, 

BY 

CASPAR MORRIS, M. D. 



"Octis <T £7T t neyicTois to e.Tri<p$ovov \a^/3dv£L 6p$-&s fiovAeverai' ixlcog pilv yap 
ovk iTwro'Xv dvrixt 1 -' ') & irapavriKa rt AajLnrpdrT??, nal i$ to s-rreira £6%a dti^.vricrog 
Kara^tirrtrai. Thucyd. 



GEORGE & BYINGTON, AND WM. STAVELY. 

NEW-YORK : SWORDS, STANFORD AND CO. 

1837. 






Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1S37, by William 
Stavely, in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the Eastern 
District of Pennsylvania. 



J/f/O 



o 






TO 



WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, ESQ. M. P. 



TO WHOSE EFFORTS IX PARLIAMENT 



THE TRIUMPH OF THE CAUSE 



TO WHICH THE LIFE OF DR. BUCHANAN WAS DEVOTED. 



IS EMINENTLY TO BE ATTRIBUTED \ 



AND BY WHOSE PRIVATE FRIENDSHIP, AND PUBLIC SUPPORT, 



HE WAS HONOURED ; 



THE FOLLOWING MEMOIRS 



ARE, WITH SENTIMENTS OF THE HIGHEST RESPECT AND ESTEEM, 



INSCRIBED BY 



THE AUTHOR 



PREFACE 



ENGLISH EDITION 



The observation of Lord Bacon, as to the deficiency in the 
biographical department of literature in his day, is certainly not 
applicable to the present times. We have rather to complain 
of excess than of defect. While ample justice has been done to 
the lives of eminent persons, it must be confessed that ac- 
counts of obscure individuals have been unnecessarily mul- 
tiplied. 

The author of the following memoirs trusts that he will not 
be deemed liable to this charge. The person to whose life 
and writings they relate is already well known to the world, 
and has established an undoubted claim to posthumous regard. 
The prominent station which Dr. Buchanan occupied in India, 
and the zeal and ability with which he laboured to promote the 
interests of Christianity in that country and throughout the east- 
ern world, seem to demand some commemoration of his cha- 
racter and exertions ; and, unless the writer of these pages is 
much mistaken in his judgment, they describe "a person in 
whom," to use the language of the celebrated author just al- 
luded to, " actions, both great and small, public and private, are 
so blended together," as to secure that " genuine, native, and 
lively representation," which forms the peculiar excellence and 
use of biography. 

There is this additional reason for giving to the public some 
account of Dr. Buchanan, that, from the nature of the subjects 
to which his attention was directed, he unavoidably incurred a 
considerable degree of displeasure on the part of those whose 
opinions or prejudices he felt it to be his duty to oppose. It is but 
reasonable, therefore, that his views and motives should be fully 
and fairly developed, that the world may have an opportunity 
of forming a just estimate of his character and labours. 

How far the author of the following memoirs may have sne-% 



VI PREFACE. 

ceeded in this object, must be left to the public to determine. 
He is fully aware of the difficulty pointed out by a consum- 
mate judge of human nature,* of representing impartially sen- 
timents or actions, respecting which much difference of opin- 
ion and feeling will necessarily exist, according to the know- 
ledge and the dispositions of the reader upon the subject in 
question. It has undoubtedly been his aim to exhibit the cha- 
racter and conduct of Dr. Buchanan in their true light, and to 
enable the world to determine the degree of merit to which he 
may be justly entitled. 

For this purpose he has endeavoured to render him, as much 
as possible, his own biographer, and has accordingly inter- 
woven with the narrative of his life a series of extracts from 
letters to many of his friends and correspondents. Indepen- 
dently of the authentic and interesting nature of the informa- 
tion thus conveyed, where, as was eminently the case with Dr. 
Buchanan, the writer is upright in his general views, and sim- 
ple in the expression of them, his correspondence formed one 
of the principal sources of the memoirs here presented to the 
public ; some valuable private documents having been unfor- 
tunately lost. Other materials were derived from certain papers 
and memoranda referred to in the memoirs, from the more pub- 
lic events of Dr. Buchanan's life, and from his printed works. 
In the use of these various materials, relating to many dif- 
ferent persons, events, and circumstances, the author camiot 
flatter himself that he has been invariably accurate. He can only 
say that upon every occasion this has been his intention and 
aim. 

One part of the following memoirs will, it is presumed, be 
read with considerable interest, that which relates to the insti- 
tution, progress, and effects of the College of Fort William, in 
Bengal ; in the establishment, conduct, and superintendence of 
which Dr. Buchanan was intimately concerned during the period 
of its most extensive and effective operation. The proceedings 
of this institution are, it is believed, but little known in Eng- 
land, and deserve particular attention at the present moment.t 

The account also of the journey of Dr. Buchanan to the 

* Thucyd. Hist. ii. 35. 

t It is remarkable that Professor Malthus, in stating as one of the principal 
reasons for the preference due to the East India Company's College in England, 
its superior adaptation Yq preserve regularity in the conduct, and economy in 
the personal expenses of l\e students, seems not to have been aware, that these 
were the very points in which the College of Fort William, during its first four 
years, peculiarly excelled. It is but just to the latter institution, that its origi- 
nal merits in both these important respects should be generally known. 



PREFACE. Vll 

coast of Malabar, and of his visit to the Syrian churches in 
the interior of Travancore, notwithstanding his own introduc- 
tion of it to the public, will probably prove acceptable to the 
reader. More might easily have been added to this, and, in- 
deed, to every part of the memoirs ; but it may, perhaps, be 
thought by some that they have already exceeded their just 
limits. 

It may not be unnecessary to observe, that these volumes 
contain the history of a man, whose leading characteristic was 
a sincere and devoted attachment to the gospel of Christ, as a 
living principle of faith and practice. While, therefore, it is 
hoped that those whose sentiments are substantially similar, 
will derive peculiar gratification from the perusal of the follow- 
ing memoirs, they may tend, as far as others are concerned, 
both to explain the nature of those painciples, and to illustrate 
and recommend their excellence and value. Whatever is wor- 
thy, either of being admired or imitated, and there is much 
which is deserving of both in the character of Dr. Buchanan, 
is chiefly to be ascribed to his views and feelings as a chris- 
tian ; and though, as the author himself would avow, it is by 
no means necessary to coincide in every opinion expressed by 
Dr. Buchanan in these volumes, he is deeply persuaded, that the 
leading principles of his life and conduct are alone capable of 
producing genuine and exalted virtue, peace of conscience, and 
a well-grounded hope of eternal happiness. 

With respect to his own undertaking, the author has only to 
state that he engaged in it at the request of the family and 
friends of Dr. Buchanan. They were, doubtless, induced to 
place this task in his hands from the circumstance of his having 
some years since had occasion to consider the great subject to 
which the life of that excellent man was devoted, which led to 
a subsequent acquaintance with him. And though he has to 
regret that his intercourse with Dr. Buchanan was less frequent 
and intimate than he wished, it tended greatly to increase that 
lively interest in his character, which the previous knowledge 
of his history had excited. He felt also that he owed a debt 
of gratitude and service to his memory, which he was anxious 
to have an opportunity of discharging ; and however inade- 
quately he may have acquitted himself of this obligation, he 
trusts that his intention will be approved ; and that the follow- 
ing work, thus designed to record the excellencies of a bene- 
factor and a friend, to adopt the affectionate apology of a Roman 
biographer, " Professione pietatis aut laudatus erit, aut excu- 
satus."* 

* Tac. in vit Agric. 



Vlll PREFACE. 

The author cannot close this preface, without shortly advert- 
ing to the subject which is so frequently brought under review 
in the following memoirs, the promotion of Christianity in the 
East. Much as Dr. Buchanan was permitted to effect towards 
that great and important work, much yet remains to be accom- 
plished. The foundation of our Episcopal establishment has 
indeed been laid in India ; but it requires to be strengthened 
and enlarged, and a more goodly and majestic superstructure to 
be erected upon it. Churches are still wanting at the different 
European stations, and a considerable increase in the number 
of chaplains. The translation of the Scriptures and of useful 
tracts into the orential languages, should be encouraged and 
pursued. Schools should be instituted for the instruction of the 
young, more particularly in the knowledge of the English lan- 
guage ; and the native christians, instead of being, as hitherto, 
neglected, and even repressed, should be accredited and sup- 
ported. 

These are but brief and imperfect suggestions, which it must 
be left to others, better qualified for the task, to expand and 
realize. The author would only, therefore, add, that it is for 
those who survive the lamented subject of this volume, and who 
deeply feel the value of his various labours, to study to repair 
his loss, to rescue from neglect or failure the plans which he 
conceived, and to continue that which he so successfully began. 

In the meantime, may the following record of his pious 
and disinterested exertions, excite the zeal and strengthen the 
resolution of others to follow him in his benevolent career ; and 
prove, under that divine blessing which its author fervently im- 
plores, in some degree the means of confirming and extending 
the kingdom of Christ, not only in India, but throughout the 
world at large. 

St. Giles's, Oxford, 
March 8, 1817. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

CHAP. I.— Early life and education of Mr. Buchanan in Scotland. His jour- 
ney to England. Employment in the law, and serious change in his reli- 
gious views. Introduction to Mr. Newton. From 1766 to 1791. page 1. 

CHAP. II.— Mr. Buchanan's wish to enter the Church. His introduction to 
Mr. H. Thornton, and admission at Queen's College, Cambridge. From 
February to September 1791. 18. 

CHAP. III. — Commencement of Mr. Buchanan's residenee at Cambridge. 
His studies and correspondence. His ordination and appointment to India. 
From October, 1791, to March, 1795. ' 27. 

PART II, 

CHAP. I. — Mr. Buchanan's voyage to India. His arrival at Calcutta in March, 
1797. Appointment as chaplain at Barrackpore, and residence there till 
November, 1799. Marriage of Mr. Buchanan in the spring of that year. Ap- 
pointment as one of the chaplains of the Presidency. Institution of the Col- 
lege of Fort William, and appointment of Mr. Buchanan as Vice-Provost, 
and Professor of classics, in the year 1800. 73 

CHAP. II. — Progress of the College. Official and clerical engagements of 
Mr. Buchanan. Voyage of Mrs. Buchanan to England. College disputa- 
tions and examinations. Speeches of Governor General as Visitor. Orders 
of the Court of Directors for its abolition. Defence of that institution by 
the Marquis Wellesley ; and by Mr. Buchanan. Return of Mrs. Buchanan 
to Bengal. Mr. Obeck. His character and death. First series of Prizes 
offered by Mr. Buchanan to the Universities and public Schools of the 
United Kingdom. Mr Buchanan's Sermon at the Presidency Church on 
the Evidences of Christianity. From January, 1801, to December, 1803. 115, 

CHAP. III. — Order from the Court of Directors for the continuance of the 
College of Fort William. Annual disputations. Translation of the Scrip- 
tures at the College. Prejudices against that measure resisted by Mr. 
Buchanan. Circumstances relative to the institution of the Cival Fund 
for Widows and Orphans. Salutary influence of the College. Second 
voyage of Mrs. Buchanan to England. Composition of Mr. Buchanan's 
" Memoir on the Expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for India." 
Determination of first series of Prizes. Grounds and analysis of Mr. Bu- 
chanan's Memoir. Mr. Lassar, and his Chinese class at Serampore. Mr. 
Buchanan's publication, entitled, " The College of Fort William." Li- 
terary and moral excellence of that institution. Course of Sermons by Mr. 
Buchanan on the leading doctrines of the gospel. From January, 1804, to 
the spring ©f the following year. 158 

CHAP. IV. — Mr. Buchanan's proposal of two prizes of 500Z. to the Universities 
of Oxford and Cambridge, in June, 1805. His dangerous illness. Account 
of the death of Mrs. Buchanan. Mr. Buchanan's letter to the Archbishop 
of Canterbury. College disputations. Mr. Buchanan's exertions to pro- 
mote the translations of the scriptures into the oriental languages. Mis- 
sionaries at Serampore. Degree of D. D, from the University of Glas- 
gow. 188 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAP. V.— Departure of Dr. Buchanan from Calcutta in May, 1806, on a 
journey to the coast of Malabar. Account of this journey in a series of 
letters from Dr. Buchanan to to the Rev. D. Brown. Jellasore— Cuttack— 
Juggernaut— Visagapatam— Madras— Pondicherry— Tranquebar— Tanjore 
— Tritehinopoly-Madura— Ramnad-pooram— Ramisseram— Ceylon— Cape 

Comorin— Travancore. Visit to the Syrian Churches of Maiayala. 

Cochin— Return from thence by sea to Calcutta in March, 1807. 210 

CHAP. VI. — State of the college of Fort William on Dr. Buchanan's return to 
Calcutta. Abolition of the office of Vice-Provost. Dr. Buchanan's " Li- 
terary Intelligence" respecting his late journey. His correspondence with 
Colonel Macauiay and other friends. " Christian Institution in the East." 
Correspondence continued. Dr. Buchanan's Memorial to the Governor Ge- 
neral respecting his Sermons on the Prophecies. His farewell Sermon. 
His departure i'rom Calcutta in December, 1807, on a second visit to the 
Coast of Malabar. Letters to Mr. Brown. Ceylon— Cochin— Tillicherry— 
Goa — Bombay. Malayalim version of the four Gospels. Point de Galle. 
Voyage to Europe in March, 1808. 261 

PART III. 

CHAP. I. —Determination of the second prizes to the Universities of Oxford 
and Cambridge. Sermons preached at both Universities in pursuance of 
Dr. Buchanan's proposals. Brief view of the controversy on the subject of 
Christianity in India during the year 1808. 301 

CHAP. II. — Arrival of Dr Buchanan in England. His journey to Scotland — 
Bristol. Archbishop of Canterbury's repiy to Dr. Buchanan's letter from 
Bengal. The " Star in the East." Visit to Oxford and Cambridge. De- 
gree of D. D. conferred by the latter University. Temporary engagement 
at Welbeck Chapel, London. From August, 1808, to October, 1809. 309 

CHAP. III. — Dr. Buchanan's second marriage. Jubilee Sermons. Settle- 
ment in Yorkshire. Present of Oriental MSS. to the University of Cam- 
bridge. Sermon before the Church Missionary Society. Commencement 
sermons at Cambridge. Their publication with the " Christian Researches 
in Asia." Illness of Dr. Buchanan. Proposed voyage to Palestine. Visit 
to Buxton. Sermon on " the Healing Waters of Bethesda." Second visit 
to Scotland. Return through part of Ireland. Second paralytic attack. 
Defence of Syrian Christians. Sketch of an Ecclesiastical Establish- 
ment for British India. Death of Mrs. Buchanan. From November, 1809, 
to April, 1813. 325 

CHAP. IV. — Sketch of the proceedings in Parliament on the subject of pro- 
moting Christianity in India. Dr. Buchanan's publication entitled, " Colo- 
nial Ecclesiastical Establishment." Letter to Mr. Lushington. " Apology 
for Promoting Christianity in India." Determination of Parliament in fa- 
vour of this great object. Various correspondence. Dr. Buchanan's removal 
from Yorkshire. Residence for a short time at Cambridge. Charge to mis- 
sionaries proceeding to India. Dr. Buchanan fixes his residence in Hert- 
fordshire, for the purpose of superintending a new edition of the Syriac 
New Testament. Correspondence. Short Visit to Yorkshire. Return to 
Broxbourne. Attendance at the funeral of Mr. Henry Thornton. Death 
of Dr. Buchanan. Review of his character and labours. 730 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is not the design of christian biography to exalt the indi- 
vidual whose character it portrays, but rather to magnify the re- 
sults of the operations of the Holy Ghost, and to exhibit the 
fruits of his renewing and sanctifying influences on the hearts of 
those who are partakers of the like frailties and passions with 
ourselves, and thus to illustrate principles by individual in- 
stances, and offer encouragement to others to adopt the same mo- 
tives of action, and aim at the same or higher, attainments in 
christian character. The reader who can rise from the perusal 
of such a work, without having his own heart warmed with a 
higher sense of the love of Christ in rescuing one so far gone 
from the paths of holiness, and making him a vessel of honour, 
fit for the service of the sanctuary, and his own zeal for the ex- 
tension of the kingdom of the Lord quickened by the example 
of what others have done in the cause, has failed to derive that 
benefit which it was intended to communicate ; however much 
his fancy may have been amused, or his judgment convinced of 
the truth it contains. 

To no work can such remarks be more properly applied than 
to the life of the Rev. Claudius Buchanan. Of commanding 
talents, ardent enthusiasm, and highly cultivated intellect, yet 
sunk by his own choice of evil into great depths of misery and 
degradation, both temporal and spiritual, the wonderful grace of 
God is astonishingly evidenced in " leading him by paths which 
he knew not" to the knowledge of the gospel, and then placing 
him in a prominent station in civil society ; fulfilling almost 
literally the description of the Psalmist, " He raiseth up tfre 
poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the needy out of the dung- 
hill that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of 
the people." Who that saw the deceitful youth leaving his 
home and friends with a wild scheme of arduous adventure and 
witnessed his arrival, friendless and almost penniless, in the great 
centre of corruption, where, to the eye of the superficial obser- 
ver, scarce anything presents itself among the masses which con- 



Xll INTRODUCTION. 

gregate in it from every quarter of the earth, to relieve the moral 
darkness which appears to cover it as with a pall, could antici- 
pate for him such a career as the providence of God was even 
then preparing for him ? He will ever stand forth like Saul 
of Tarsus, a monument of the free and sovereign grace of God, 
who selects the instruments he will use in carrying on his work on 
earth according to his own pleasure, and often calls those, who, 
like the subject of this memoir, are able to adopt with sincerity 
the declaration of the same apostle, " unto me, who am less than 
the least of all saints, is this grace given," to occupy prominent 
stations in His church, that pride may be humbled, and self- 
righteousness abased for ever before Him ; and it is of vital im- 
portance to the cause of the gospel, that while we survey with 
delight the noble army of those that have brought honour to the 
church by their lives, and hold up to public view the results 
of their labours as evidences that " God is with us of a surety," 
we should with equal diligence draw attention to the principles 
by which they were actuated, and exhibit them as " renouncing 
all works as a claim to merit ," confessing them "all to have 
been mixed and sullied with sin and imperfection," and acknow- 
ledging that " whatever has been acceptable to God is His own, 
even the work of his Holy Spirit," and thus ascribing " all the 
glory to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for ever and ever."* But 
it is not only as a monument of grace in his individual character 
that we are to contemplate the subject of this memoir. Inti- 
mately connected with the commencement of those missionary 
efforts of the Church of England in the East, which have done 
such honour to her apostolic character, and which owe no small 
proportion of the power with which they have been urged on- 
wards to his influence, the republication of the memoir of his 
life, after the lapse of nearly a quarter of a century, offers a sui- 
table opportunity for reviewing the results of those operations, 
to the commencing and prosecuting of which he contributed so 
largely by his influence and personal exertion. 

Instituted for purposes of commercial gain, it was too long the 
disgrace of the English East India Company that neither in its 
corporate capacity, nor in the individual cases of its servants, did 

* See Dr. Buchanan's Will? 



INTRODUCTION. Xlil 

it realize the responsibility which necessarily attached to the in- 
fluence it had acquired in the East ; and acted as though the sole 
design of an overruling Providence in giving to Great Britain 
the empire of the East, was to fill the coffers of the people with 
the perishing riches of the world and to give to the nation a pre- 
ponderance in the scale of earthly glory. Led on by that nar- 
row, jealous spirit of selfishness, which is so diametrically op- 
posed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Company not only 
made no efforts to extend the blessings of Christianity to its hea- 
then subjects, but interposed every possible obstacle to its intro- 
duction by others. When we see it, with bitter hatred of the 
truth, prohibiting its own regularly authorized chaplains from 
preaching to the natives, we are not surprised to find it refusing 
to allow passage in its vessels to the missionaries of other deno- 
minations who sought to supply the deficiency, nor to learn, that 
taking still another step it should have sought, when these devot- 
ed men had, by a circuitous route, established themselves in an 
adjacent but independent territory, under cloak of zeal for sound 
order and hatred to the principles of French philosophy, to pre- 
vent even the casual influence they might exercise in its ter- 
ritories ; nor are we surprised to learn, that, under such a system, 
so overwhelming was the tide of worldiiness and sensuality, that 
even the heathen were left behind in the gratification of every 
sinful lust, and that the greatest obstacle to the promulgation of 
the gospel was that which was occasioned by the unholiness of 
those who, calling themselves christians, " caused the name of the 
Lord to be blasphemed among the heathen'" by their excess of 
riot and debauchery. But though to the eye of sense all was 
thus dark and dreary, that God, who M ruleth in the earth," and 
is ever working to educe good even from that which appears 
most evil in itself, had decreed that even here He would be 
praised. Light had begun to dawn on the moral darkness. A 
Grant among the civil servants of the Company, and a Brown 
among the clergy, had been raised up as the faint harbingers of 
that day which has since gone on to increase in light, though 
still far from having attained the lustre of the noon-day. During 
many years the opposing clouds rolled heavily around, and to 
those whose hopes were built on any foundation less firm than 

*a 



>-•' INTRODl'CTION. 

Buehermn rive :le"ee :o Mermii. --T;;::-;;;. 2::: Co: 



whom cmce burned. 2 solioery :rcer. e: me Mission Cuoreh. now 
rises " ::h brioh:. soecdy. end iuereesicm lire: from oil due memoes 
:: the metropolis of the Eos:. While from many an "up 
cj'::o:t" sceeim. w hi:h ;u:e ooorec o:::mm bumemolc J orkr.es s 
upon the night of heathenism . m e rebieum is now beaming in 
1210: em :::o : :;:;s ~e:i:us. Toe cuepleius -::' due C :m::e:ey ore 
no longer o.s once men more ihm:ilier "mm :he 0/0. :oe borne. 
and the card-pack than wd:h be word of Gee; and 9 : dig : be most 
eleveued of :be civil onb mimery servoms c: me Comoony ore 
•■ no: eshemed of :ne em: e". :: Co::?:." Indeed i; moy be cues- 
::: whether in any part of the christian chur: mete con be 
mend greo:er poriry 0: life or soonbness c: dcmriue noon is 
he:e disobeyed. Vmhen vo see me vreoibny. :ioe green cob me 
influential doing the work : f e van gelists, : g 

freely of their money, bnt employing their own one in d:m eu- 
sing food to the hungry, and knowledge to the ignorant, that 
they may win souls to Christ, an 1 lea 1 1 b e :n to sec k for thai " bread 
which ocmeno down, from beeven." onb noose •• wells of weeer 
which soring op :o everles:i::o iife :" sob me:: behold me seme 
: 1 :viduals converting the rites of hospitality into occasions for 
conveying wisdom from on hi oh. :o scoffing, infidel 00 ess. we 
cannot but say, this is the Lore's 00 and :: is mai mimes :n 
our eyes. Time has been, and that within the memory of those 
now living, when it was not so, and when one christian men. 
having his lot cos: in this rac lern Sodom, edvertised in vain for 
3. eompenion ::" like mimoeles. in rrber me: mey :0:0b: oone. 
together, as is there : 5 : : :n a r . : : n e :u e s I i e BStal i ishmenL 
Bo; behold bne eomresu I; is relmeb c: Joseph Deere. Esq.. 
civil serve::: 0: bne Comoony. me: 0: me :::ne of ins mem he 
left a congregation of four hundred professing native christians, 
convereeb by ins ins;romen:ol:;y. besides m 
he hedbrough: :o noeknowleboe :: :he:ro:h. Hi 
was, "I hove preoeheo Chris: wi:h oli my see i eo 



e-i 



INTRODUCTION, XV 

my confidence." " Jesus, I have sinned against thee. I have dis- 
honoured thee, but thou still art my hope. And wilt thou 
let me go ? Canst thou let me go ? No ! Thy mercy is a sea 
of boundless love." And a short before his death, with the 
prospect of soon standing before the judgment seat of Christ, he 
could say, " Had any one asked me within the last seventeen 
years, I think I may say twenty, what had been the object I had 
chiefly in view, I could have answered by divine grace, the glory 
of God: 1 

I have myself enjoyed the privilege of the acquaintance of 
one whose modesty would shrink from any degree of notoriety, 
highly connected and of great influence in society, a judge over 
an important district, who has been- known to seek out a sick tra- 
veller, take him to his own tent, nurse and comfort his body, and 
then, when returning health gave opportunity, sit for hours by 
his bedside, reasoning with him " of temperance, righteousness, 
and a judgment to come," not permitting him to depart until he 
had brought him, (under the blessing of God) from the mazes of 
infidelity into the marvellous liberty of a son of God. And I 
have seen him, with the same noble spirit, spend day after day, 
among the orphan children of the common soldiers, with the 
same holy purpose of winning them to Christ. Indeed, so entire- 
ly has the tide of influence turned in favour of Christianity that 
few are now to be found so hardy as to oppose its progress, or 
withhold their aid from the efforts which are making for its ex- 
tension. 

The opposition of the government, so rancorous as to lead 
to the prohibiting of its own chaplains from preaching the 
gospel to the heathen, has yielded, and though it is still stained 
with the guilt of a partial sanction of idolatry, yet there is now 
unlimited toleration of missionaries of every denomination ; 
and in a farewell address of the late Governor, Lord William 
Bentinck, he makes honourable mention of the mission of the 
General Assembly of the Scotch Church. And though others 
doubtless must share with Dr. Buchanan in the glory of the 
change, it is generally conceded that it is chiefly attributable to 
the noble, self-denying, and unwearied assiduity with which, 
braving obloquy and reproach, he laboured to enlighten the mind 



XVI INTRODUCTION. 

of the British public on the real condition of the Indian pro- 
vinces, and pointed out the means which his enlarged intellect 
and extensive observation rendered him so competent to suggest 
for its improvement. 

But it is time we should turn our attention to that great change 
which has followed most directly the efforts of Buchanan him- 
self, a change which he deemed of the utmost importance and 
which experience has shown he did not estimate too highly. 
When we recur to the decided hostility with which his pro- 
posal of an ecclesiastical Establishment for India was first met, 
and remember the continued opposition it encountered during so 
many years, and the bitter personalities with which the charac- 
ter of its proposer was assailed, not only through the medium of 
the press, but even on the floor of the House of Commons, and 
that too by persons of no little influence, we could not have antici- 
pated that she should be already blessed with two bishops, inactive 
discharge of their duties, and with the prospect of another to be 
soon added to the number, nor can we fail to admire the foresight 
displayed when in answer, doubtless to a suggestion of the possi- 
bility that an unsuitable person might be chosen to fill the 
highest office of the church, he could reply, " Place the mitre 
on any head, it will do good in India, and a spiritual bishop will 
in time arise." How delightful it is to trace the fulfilment of 
these sanguine hopes ; to see a Middleton falling a victim to his 
self-sacrificing efforts to secure a college for the training up of an 
indigenous clergy ; a Heber, whose refined and chastened taste 
(brought more and more under the influence of the gospel 
during his residence in India,) was so adapted to win the good 
will of all to the holy cause, in support of which he too fell, a mar- 
tyr to his zeal ; and passing over the short career of a Turner, 
and a James, to come down to the present time, when a Wilson 
in Calcutta, and a Corrie in Madras, stand forth as examples to 
the flock " over which the Holy Ghost has made them over- 
seers" in purity of doctrine, holiness of life, and fervency of 
zeal, men of whom it may emphatically be said, they count 
not their lives dear unto themselves, but follow, undaunted, in the 
path on which they have seen no less than four of their predeces- 
sors fall martyrs to labours and cares which they themselves must 



INTRODUCTION. XV11 

encounter. Entering upon it too, the one, after years of faithful la- 
bour amid evil report and good report in the metropolis of the world 
had afforded reasonable grounds for a claim to retirement, and 
the other, after a life of still more arduous and self-denying 
exertion as the fellow-labourer of Martyn, Brown, Thomason, 
and Heber, whose toils and anxieties he shared with unflinching 
devotion to their common Lord. " Named with commendation 
in the primary charge of Bishop Middleton, twenty year since, 
the companion and friend of each succeeding prelate, and thrice 
supplying, so far as an archdeacon could, the vacant see," the 
patron of the Rev. Abdool Messee, and the Rev. Wm, Bowley, 
two of the most successful missionaries of modern times (whom 
he received to his house and his* table, notwithstanding the 
sneers of pride pointed to their native origin as disqualifying 
them for such association,) — the hospitable friend of all those 
of every denomination, who passed through Calcutta on their 
way to labour among the more distant heathen, many mission- 
aries of the American Board, being able to testify of his open- 
hearted simple kindness — the unwearied and liberal promoter 
of every public institution for the relief, " as well of the bodies 
as the souls" of his fellow beings — the affectionate counsellor 
of the young, to whom his house and his heart are always open, 
he stands forth, in the estimation of all who have been privileged 
to know him, as one who may adopt the language of the apostle, 
" Be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as 
ye have us for an example." And yet so deep is his humility that 
in a recent private communication to the author of this feeble 
tribute to his worth, he can, in the spirit of the same apostle, 
count himself "less than the least of all saints;" and instead of 
being elated by his elevation to the Episcopal chair, speak of 
it as cause for still greater humiliation before God, in a deep 
sense of his unworthiness. Long may the Indian Church be 
blessed with such* bishops ; and when they have finished their 
course, and are called to the possession of the crown of right- 
eousness laid up for them in heaven, may their mantles fall on 
those of like character, and with double portions of the same 
spirit. 

But we cannot better display the result of this measure than 



XVlll INTRODUCTION. 

in the words of the present Bishop of Calcutta, who in a late 
charge says : 

" At the primary visitation of Bishop Middleton the chap- 
laincies in Bengal were fifteen, the clergy at work but ten or 
twelve. At the time of Bishop Heber, the chaplains allotted 
were twenty-six ; but little more than half were actually in the 
field, with a few missionaries. Our chaplaincies are now thirty- 
seven, and those filled up thirty-two. The considerable places 
now regularly served are thirty-four ; and including the Eastern 
settlements and Bishops College Chapel, and a few others, forty. 
To which number, if we add the smaller christian stations 
which are visited once, twice, or oftener in the year, the aggregate 
will be over ninety ; while the whole amount of licensed clergy 
in the archdeaconry (of Calcutta) at present will be fifty-eight, 
and, with those absent on sick leave, sixty-five. 

" In the presidency of Madras the augmentation has been 
equally gratifying. Out of eighteen stations only one of a very 
important character, Bellary, is without a chaplain, while above 
forty smaller spots are occasionally visited. If the Rev. mis- 
sionaries are added, the number of clergy in residence would be 
thirty-five or forty." " My last accounts from Bombay left five 
absent or vacant of its fifteen chaplaincies. I hope, in a few 
months, to find the whole number of seventy-five are appointed, 
of whom, if about sixty are actually in India, I should trust the 
number of the clergy, with the Rev. missionaries, would be 
nearly one hundred and twenty." 

Now, what could the most sanguine have anticipated more 
than w r e see here fulfilled ? Twenty -five years since not a mis- 
sionary of the Church of England on the ground and the chap- 
lains prohibited from the promulgation of the gospel to the na- 
tives. Now no less than sixty ordained clergymen of the church 
engaged, directly and exclusively in missionary labour, not 
to mention the chaplains, many of whom are faithful and dili- 
gent missionaries to the heathen, in addition to the duties of their 
chaplaincies. 

Nor must we omit, in this cursory survey of the results of the 
labours of Buchanan, to pause a moment in contemplation of an 
object which, though it did not present itself to his mind, yet 



INTRODUCTION XIX 

Sprang so immediately and exclusively from the efforts of the 
first bishop, that it may legitimately be considered the offspring 
of his labours. I allude to Bishops College, which, in the lan- 
guage of Bishop Wilson, "erected with a foresight and piety 
which will for ever illustrate the name of the first Bishop of Cal- 
cutta, stands on the margin of the river which washes our eastern 
metropolis, the noblest monument of British benevolence, wait- 
ing only to receive its flocking students and train them for mis- 
sionary labor." Nor are its benefits only in anticipation, already 
have the first fruits been gathered. One missionary, who re- 
ceived his education entirely within its walls, having already 
gone forth as a labourer in the vineyard and offering at a late ac- 
count as the result of his ministry no less than one hundred native 
converts waiting for baptism. Subsidiary to this, a High School in 
Calcutta, founded by Bishop Turner, is in successful operation, 
ready to pour forth youth, prepared on the spot, and habituated 
to the climate, who shall enter the college there to receive that 
complete education which it offers. Having thus traced down 
to the present time the good results of his unwearied efforts for 
the establishment of the Episcopate, we may next turn our at- 
tention to another, and even more important subject, the trans- 
lation of the Word of God. What principle less persevering 
than Christian zeal but w r ould have sunk under the various diffi- 
culties he was obliged to encounter in the commencement of his 
undertaking ; and what but the most expansive and sanctified 
liberality would have been so profuse in its expenditure as he 
was in this most holy cause ? And it must be remembered also, 
that this unwearied exertion was made in a climate proverbial 
for its enervating influence, and this expenditure encountered in 
direct opposition to those principles of worldly prudence which 
would have called for the accumulation of an independence while 
the opportunity was afforded, and in the midst too of a society 
in which a much smaller degree of christian zeal would have 
received a greater share of praise. Separated by half the globe 
from those who might be disposed to exact more from him, and 
to w T atch over him with an anxious solicitude, he stands forth as 
a monument of the preserving power of divine grace. And 
that same Spirit by which he was actuated and sustained, has 



XX INTRODUCTION* 

carried on to completion, the work at which he thus assiduously 
laboured ; and it is believed there is not now within the jurisdic- 
tion of the British government, a nation which may not hear, in 
its own language, the " wonderful works of God." Nor should we 
in this connexion, overlook the fact that it was the same ardent 
and persevering advocate of Episcopacy, and an Establishment 
as the best means of promoting the extension of Christianity 
among both the native and European population of India, that stood 
forth as the champion of the Serampore missionaries, and was 
willing to entrust to their hands the important work of transla- 
tion, when the reduction of the College of Fort William compel- 
led those who were interested in this most important work to 
seek for other hands, to which it might be entrusted ; thus afford- 
ing undeniable evidence that a warm and decided attachment to 
what we ourselves believe, the only divinely-authorized form of 
church government, is perfectly compatible with the most en- 
larged liberality to those who conscientiously differ from us, and 
whom we cannot but believe to be thus far in error. 

But we must now turn our attention to that which Dr. Bu- 
chanan himself esteemed an important result of his Indian resi- 
dence, and which has afforded his adversaries more opportunity 
for attacking his character than any part of his labours, the 
account which he published of his visit, to the decayed christian 
churches on the coast of Malabar. What christian heart did not 
beat with joy and sympathy, when it was told of a body of 
christians in the mountain fastnesses of India, who had there 
maintained, in comparative purity, the faith and practice of 
primitive Christianity in defiance not only of the idolatry by 
which it was surrounded, but even resisting to blood, the hor- 
rors of the Inquisition, rather than submit to the false doctrine 
of Rome ? Who was not disposed to lift up his voice in thanks- 
giving to that God, by whom they had thus been kept? Who 
that heard of their humble acknowledgments, of their present fall- 
en condition, and their willingness to be helped through the in- 
strumentality of the Church of England, but indulged in ardent 
anticipations of the result ? And who was not proportionably 
cast down when told that in all these points Dr. Buchanan had 
either suffered himself to be deceived by his own enthusiasm 



INTRODUCTION. XXI 

or had voluntarily deceived others. We find the very outset of 
his career marked by ardent enthusiastic feeling, and every sub- 
sequent step of his course shows the same character to have con- 
tinued in a more chastened form throughout his life. It is not, 
therefore, at all surprising that we should find traces of it in those 
portions of his writings which are most calculated to call forth 
such feelings. But while we make these concessions, we must not 
be understood to admit, by any means, the truth of the allegations 
of the enemies of Dr. Buchanan, who are well designated — by one 
well competent to judge — as enemies of the cause in which he 
was engaged, and therefore bound to make the most of any im- 
perfection they might find in its advocates. Cold, indeed, must 
have been the heart of him, who, as the first Western Christian 
put his foot within the sacred precincts of this Eastern Church, 
and remembered how many fights of affliction it had endured for 
__-the sake of the truth — who could witness the jealous care with 
which the word of God was kept and the anxiety manifested to 
possess it more abundantly — who conld listen to Abraham's re- 
mark upon the difference between the " religion of the heart and 
the doctrines of the head," and hear him say for " three hundred 
years we have been quarrelling with the Romish Church about 
supremacy, rites, and ceremonies, but the Bible has been out of 
the question. The Bible, sir, is what we want, in the language 
of our own mountains ; with the Bible in his hand, every man 
may become the priest of his own family" — who could climb the 
hill of Ranniel, and, thence surveying the districts around, see 
humble yet neat christian churches almost hidden among the 
trees, and there partake of the simple hospitality of a christian 
man who had never been beyond " those mountains," and scarce 
could believe there were any christians in the world beside those 
with whom he was w T ont to associate — he who could witness 
these scenes and associate with such persons without enthusiasm 
must have been destitute of all susceptibility. It was natu- 
ral that we should anticipate much good as the result of the more 
general diffusion of the word of God, and more general instruc- 
tion of the priests. In these anticipations the whole christian 
church participated with Dr. Buchanan; but as yet they have 

3 



XX11 INTRODUCTION. 

not been realized. Through the exertions of CoL Monro, the 
Company's resident at Travancore, a college has been established 
for the instruction of the Catanars, and placed under the super- 
intendence of the missionaries of the Church Missionary So- 
ciety ; these clergymen are also permitted to preach in the 
churches. The results of both these operations must necessarily 
be slow, but we cannot but be allowed still to hope that the bless- 
ing of the Holy Spirit may be shed out abundantly on these la- 
bors, and then shall they " not be in vain in the Lord ;" and while 
it is evident, from later observations and more familiar intercourse, 
that they have lapsed further into error than Dr. Buchanan had 
supposed, this should, instead of cooling the zeal of Christians 
for their restoration, stimulate it to greater warmth and energy 
of action. Dr. Buchanan may be said to have died in their ser- 
vice — the last act in which he was engaged being the supervision 
of the printing of the New Testament in Syriac, in order to re- 
deem the pledge which he made to them, when they so unwill- 
ingly entrusted to his care the manuscripts they had so long 
treasured, and which they had received from Antioch about the 
seventh century. Though pictures of the Virgin in their churches, 
and the acknowledgment of the value of the intercession of saints, 
prove them to have departed from the faith once delivered to 
their fathers, we cannot but still indulge the hope that this 
branch of the church may yet be restored to its pristine vigour 
and bring forth fruit to the praise and glory of God. And while 
we survey their fallen condition, and that of the sister churches 
of Armenia, Abyssinia, Greece, and Rome, and pray earnestly 
for their restoration, let us not forget to derive from it that prac- 
tical lesson it is so well calculated to convey, and learn to be 
" watchful and strengthen those things that remain" in our own 
possession, lest a like condemnation come upon ourselves, and, 
while we justly look upon our privileges in the maintenance 
among us of so large a portion of primitive order, we lapse, like 
these our predecessors* into the form of godliness without the 
power. None but he who has stood amid the fumes of incense 
surrounded by a gaping, thoughtless crowd, and listened to the un- 
intelligible jargon of the priest, bowing before a picture of the Vir- 



INTRODUCTION. XX1L1 

gin, instead of humbling himself in the presence of the only true 
God, can realize the humiliating feeling which is produced by the 
reflection that these are the descendants of the churches of Co- 
rinth and Philippi. And still more humbling is the feeling 
which is produced by the grosser levity of both priest and peo- 
ple in the Armenian Church, remembering their descent from 
those to whom Paul preached in Asia the " gospel of the grace 
of God." My heart has often sunk within me in witnessing 
these things, from the reflection that the glory of the Lord once 
shone on these churches still possessed of all the ordinances and 
rites of Christianity, but totally destitute of that which alone 
gives them life and power. The Lord grant that our candle- 
stick may never in like manner be put out of its place, and we 
left to cry, the temple of the Lord are we, while the glory has de- 
parted, and the light has been replaced by a darkness the more 
afflicting from the contrast. In the case of the Syrians, Dr. Bu- 
chanan well remarks that he was more pleased to trace the ex- 
istence of that which still remained among them, as the little 
spark of good which might be kindled again into a flame by the 
kindly nursing of the English Church, than to seek how far they 
had fallen into error and darkness. He certainly overlooked the 
invocation of the Virgin, and the acknowledgment of the merits 
of the saints, or he could not have said — " The doctrines of the 
Syrian Church are few in number, but pure, and agree in essen- 
tial points with the Church of England ;" even with the quali- 
fication which immediately follows, " Though the body of the 
church appears to be ignorant and formal and dead, there are in- 
dividuals who are alive to righteousness, who are distinguished 
from the rest by their purity of life, and are sometimes con- 
sidered too rigid." It must be borne in mind, too, by those who 
are disposed to judge Dr. Buchanan hardly, that Col. Macaulay, 
and others whose opportunities for information were greater than 
his, were long under the same impression with himself, derived, 
doubtless, like his own, from the remarks of those who were 
"more alive to righteousness," or perhaps from the interested 
misstatements of those who were anxious to receive some tenv 



XXIV INTRODUCTION. 

poral advantage which they hoped might result from such decep- 
tion.* 

* The London Missionary Register for December, 1836, received after the pre- 
paration of these sheets for the press, contains some recent accounts from the mis- 
sionaries among the Syrian christians. The following extracts from their com- 
munications will exhibit clearly the present condition of these people, and the 
kind of instruction which is conveyed to the young Catanars in the seminary at 
Cotym : 

" Oct. 7, 1834—1 received a visit to-day from Philippos, Catanar, of one of the 
Cottayam churches. We conversed on the errors of the Syrian Church. He 
seems to be fully sensible of them, although he unhappily appears to be but little 
troubled about their existence. On my mentioning the (desirableness of a refor- 
mation, and the duty of the priests to promote it by all legal means, he coolly 
observed that that was the Metran's business — that any reformation must origi- 
nate with him. 

" Oct. 12 — I preached to a very crowded congregation, in the Syrian church. 
There is evidently an increased attention to the word of God. The people be- 
gin to inquire of their priests, whether what Sahib says is true. "If it is not," 
they say, " why is he allowed thus to preach in our church ? But if what Sahib 
says be true, why do not our priests tell us the same things ?" I am inclined to 
believe that if ever there is a reformation here, it will begin among the laity, 
and not among the priests. By the priests, I have little doubt, there will be offer- 
ed very strong opposition, and their influence among the people is very consider- 
able. Still, let but the gospel be preached, simply and in love, and I cannot but 
believe that the Lord will appear for his own glory, to the joy of his people, and 
to the confusion of those who oppose themselves. 

" Oct. 13 — This day one of my servants came to me, to speak about Christianity. 
He stated that he had long been convinced of its truth, and was now desirous of 
being baptized. I questioned him very closely, and was, upon the whole, much 
pleased with his answers: his knowledge of the doctrine of Christianity is tole- 
rably accurate. I know not what sinister motive he can have in thus coming 
forward. I told him that I could not recommend him to the Syrian Church; but 
that I should be happy to afford him further instruction in the truths of our holy 
religion : and that if he were found to be sincere, I should procure him baptism 
in our own church. For this encouragement he expressed himself thankful. He 
is married, and has two children ; but his wife is opposed to Christianity. He 
thinks, however, that she will not object to one of his children being baptized 
with him. May the Lord carry on, in this poor man's heart, the work which he 
seems to have begun ! 

Oct. 19 : Lord's Day— I preached, as usual, in the Syrian church ; but in much 
pain and weakness. There was a large number of men, women, and children 
present. Many of these are very regular in their attendance ; and appear, at 
least, to receive the word gladly. If at one time more than another I feel ten- 
der commiseration for these poor Syrians, it is when I am addressing them in 
their own church. Here every thingaround is calculated to remind you of their 
deeplv-fallen condition. To-day I felt peculiarly earnest, while endeavouring to 
exhibit the ability and willingness of Christ to save to the very uttermost eU that 
come unto God by him. I am \ery anxious not heedlessly to offend their preju- 
dices: but still, if we preach at all, we must preach the whole truth : and, in or- 
der to make the truth evident, we must clear away their known errors : their re- 
fuges of lies must be exposed. Christ— not the Virgin, not merits of saints, not 
vows and fasts, not a wafer-god — Christ alone can help and save. Oh that we 
all, like St. Paul, may determine to know nothing among them but Jesus Christ 
and Mm crucified ! 

" At this period Mr. Woodcock was under the necessity of proceeding to the 
Nilgherries for the benefit of his health. 



INTRODUCTION. XXV 

So many years have now eiapsed since the grounds upon 
which the claims of missions to the heathen are founded have 

•* Themes by youths in the Syrian College. — The following themes by college 
boys were transmitted by the'Rev. J. Peet, to illustrate their progress, and their 
views of divine truth. 

" On Justification by Faith. — Justification by faith is the grace of God freely 
bestowed, and whereby He pardons all sins of men, and receives them holy in 
his sight without accounting sins; but it is not by the works and worthiness of 
men ; — and we must consider with what. It is only by the free grace with 
which God hath offered the sacrifice of his own Son for the remission of our sins: 
for instance, Rom. iii. 24: * Being ju-tified by his grace through the redemption 
which is in Jesus Christ.' If we gain righteousness by works, it is not the free 
grace of God, for it is the payment of works : for instance, Rom iv. 4: ■ To him 
that worketh, is not reckoned the reward of grace, but of debt?' therefore by our 
works the grace is not gained. Of this, Rom. iv. 2 : 'If Abraham was justified 
by his works, he has wherewith to glory ; but.not before God.' God commanded 
to Abraham, according to his commandment, * that thou shalt get out of thine 
own country, and come into the land which I tell thee.' He believed God, and 
got out without doubting : this was reckoned to him for righteousness : of which 
Rom. iv. 3: 'For what the Scripture says : Abraham believed God, which was 
reckoned to him for righteousness.' Therefore we must pray to God to grant his 
Holy Spirit, that we also may walk in the footsteps of Abraham. 

" On the same subject — We must think what is said of justification by faith : 
it is the work of God's free grace. It is evident that we cannot be justified by 
any good works that we do. Eph. ii. 8, 9, mentions about this : ' You are saved 
by faith, by his grace ; and that not of yourselves, but it is the free grace of God ; 
it is not of works, lest any man should boast.' We must think what faith is, and 
how we can receive it: we must believe in Christ, with our perfect heart : many 
witnesses prove that we have remission of sin through his blood. If we examine 
how Job was saved from the deceit and temptation of Satan, he was only saved 
b}' faith ; and not only he, but also Abraham, who is called the father of believers 
and the friend of God, 'believed in God, and it was reckoned to him for right- 
eousness ;' as it is said in Gal. iii. 6. Not only this, but faith is that by which we 
are confirmed in our mind concerning unknown things as things that are known. 
Even so we must certainly believe that there is no other Mediator between God 
and men, except Christ. When we believe so, we, who are sinners and offend- 
ers, will be received into the presence of Jehovah, armed with righteousness, as 
those that have no defect : the whole Scriptures record to this: about this it is 
spoken in the Epistle of John i. 12. 

" In reference to this Theme, Mr. Peet remarks — 

u A literal translation from a deacon's original Malayalim theme; and pre- 
cisely as it was translated by an English scholar; first on a slate, and afterward 
written on this paper by him. My object in sending this is to show the state of 
learning at present. 

" On Praying to the Virgin Mary.—\t is not lawful to pray to the Virgin Mary, 
as we do to our God, who preserves us from harm by day and night: because 
she, being one of his creatures, could not save any man, or do any thing good, as 
the Almighty could. We, who are Christians, should not despise her, but honour 
her more than all other women ; because she was the mother of our Saviour, and 
the blessed woman among all other women who were born in this world : and if 
we give those privileges and glory, which are due to God only, to any other 
creature, whether Virgin Mary or any saint, it is not only an horrible crime, but 
we despise and frustrate the merits of Christ which he hath shed for our salva- 
tion ; and the scripture doth not teach us to trust in any other, but in Christ Jesus, 
for our salvation : and we are the transgressors of the scripture, if we do what it 
doth not teach us ; for it teacheth us, in the first commandment which God gave 
to Moses, Thou shalt have no other God before me : from this we may learn that 
we must put our trust in no one, except the living God. 

" Mr. Peet states that this theme was written without the slightest dictation of 
any kind ." 

3* 



XXVI INTRODUCTION. 

been presented to the public, and so treacherous are our hearts 
in allowing such things to slip from the memory, that it may not 
be useless once more, on this occasion, to ask the attention of the 
readers of this volume to a cursory survey of them. In this, as 
in all other cases, the maxim of the Roman poet is true — 

" Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem, 
Quam quas sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus — " 

and I feel assured that no heart, which has felt the power of sin, 
and known the saving efficacy of the blood of Christ applied to 
its own healing, can for one moment survey the actual condition 
of the heathen world, and hesitate as to the imperative nature of 
the obligation to extend to its polluted inhabitants the knowledge 
of the gospel. Having myself seen the abomination of idolatry, 
entering upon its consideration too with a heart steeled by long 
rooted prejudice in opposition to missionary effort, I have long- 
entertained the deliberate conviction that there is no sin of the 
christian church more universal — none which will draw upon it 
greater condemnation, than the cold indifference with which this 
great work, which has been solemnly committed to it by the 
Great Head of the Church, has been regarded : so long as it 
continues to be a principle of the Lord of truth and righteousness 
that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord" — that 
nothing which is impure or defile th shall enter within the walls 
of the New Jerusalem, so long must those, who know the pollu- 
tion of the heathen world, mourn over the certainty of their ex- 
clusion from that happiness which the Lord hath purchased for 
those that love him. I pretend not to pass judgment upon every 
individual heathen : the Lord knoweth them that are his. But 
when we speak of masses we must speak in general terms. 
When the prophet in his despondence looked over Israel and 
thought, " I, even I alone, am left to call upon thy name," he was 
rebuked for his selfish, short-sighted want of faith, and told of 
seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Yet 
even the anxious glance of the prophet could not discern these 
members of an election by grace among the multitude — so now 
there may be and doubtless are, among the many hundreds of 
millions of the heathen world, some who, in anxious seeking 
after God, and doing by nature the things of the law, shall be 



INTRODUCTION. XXVU 

accepted, and, coming from the east and the west, the north and 
the south, condemn those who with greater privileges abused or 
despised, shall see these enter into the kingdom of heaven, while 
they are themselves thrust out. "But, when this is granted, have 
we granted any thing which shall in the slightest degree abate 
from the necessity of missionary effort? The testimony not of 
missionaries but of infidels, and even of the people themselves, is, 
that the mass of them are sunk into the lowest degree of wicked- 
ness and degradation — and this be it remembered, not in igno- 
rance and mental hebetude, but with minds intelligent and quick, 
and consciences far from seared. And what cry, other than that 
of those who are perishing, could come with a stronger appeal 
to the heart of the christian, than that of those who in anxious 
desire for salvation are seeking some way of acceptance, torturing 
their bodies for the good of their souls — groping in the dark in 
search of some light upon the way they are seeking which shall 
lead them to everlasting life and peace ? To such a soul, wander- 
ing " now this way and now that," seeking the pearl of price, 
and willing to part with all to obtain it, " how beautiful upon the 
mountains would be the feet of him that brought glad tidings." 
Who does not long to tell to such an one the glorious news of the 
" blood of Christ cleansing from all sin" — to carry to such an one 
the invitation, " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest ?" So that the necessity to preach 
the unsearchable riches of Christ to the heathen may be founded 
on two perfectly distinct points of obligation : to those who are 
resisting that amount of light which still remains among them, 
and are not willing to retain God in their knowledge, it is ne- 
cessary to exhibit his purity and holiness, and his hatred of sin, 
shown in the provision it v/as needful to make for the pardon of 
man's transgressions : and to those who are mourning under the 
conviction of unholiness and longing for deliverance from the 
power and guilt of sin, in order that they may be brought ac- 
quainted with the means of grace, and become possessors of the 
comfort and joy of a hope of glory. These arguments especially 
apply to those nations who, like the Hindoos and Chinese, are 
partially enlightened, possessed of acute and inquiring minds, 
and susceptible already of impressions which may be maue upon 



XXV111 INTRODUCTION. 

their understandings, and addressed to their hearts — who, like 
the ancient Romans and Greeks, "by wisdom know not God." 
Equally cogent are the arguments which appeal to us in behalf of 
those nations who in the degradation of barbarism show but lit- 
tle to distinguish them from the brutes, living only for the gratifi- 
cation of animal appetites and passions, and exhibiting just 
enough of the characteristics of man to justify us in the belief 
that they are members of the human family, and as such possess- 
ed of souls destined to immortal existence, and susceptible of 
immortal joy and glory. To such the knowledge of the gospel, 
accompanied as it always is by the enlightening and sanctifying 
operations of the Holy Ghost, brings not only the assurance of 
future bliss but meliorating influences on their present condition. 
Let us but look back a few centuries to our own British, Saxon, 
and Celtic ancestry, and see them plunged in ignorance and 
idolatry as gross and degrading as that which now holds any 
portion of our fellow-men in its thraldom, and then contrast it 
with the light and knowledge which now afford us joy, and ex- 
amine to what it is we owe the change, and we shall find the 
benign influences of the gospel at the foundation of it all ; and, 
while we thus enhance our estimation of present blessings by 
the comparison, let us examine our own hearts and see whether 
we so value them as to be willing to make some sacrifice for the 
extension of the same to others. The natural philanthropy of 
the human heart should be sufficient to move us to some exer- 
tion at least to bestow upon others the blessings we so richly 
partake of ourselves. The conviction that 

" The quality of mercy is not strained, 
It droppeth like the gentle rain from heaven 
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed — 
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes," 

Should stir us up to some effort — or we should cease to 
pride ourselves on its possession. But if such motives should 
have weight on every feeling heart, what should be the amount 
of feeling in the christian's breast ? Himself a monument of grace 
and mercy on the part of God, professedly partaker of the bless- 
ings purchased for all mankind by the blood of Jesus — how can 
he shut up his bowels of compassion from those who are allied 



INTRODUCTION. XXIX 

to him by the ties of common humanity — profess to pity their 
degradation, and yet stretch forth no hand to help? Surely 
such want of consistency must draw down heavier condemnation 
than that which an apostle threatens to those who feel not for the 
bodily w T ants of their fellows. 

And now, what remains for us but to examine, each one for 
himself, how far we are engaged in working together with God, 
for the promotion of the great object which He is labouring to 
effect, the restoration of his sovereignty in the world, and the 
bringing back of man from the degradation into which sin has 
plunged him, to the glory and honour which belonged to his origin- 
al condition, and of which he is still susceptible ? The cry of 
so many millions of fellow-creatures, destitute of all that consti- 
tutes our comfort in life, and hope in death, should alone be suf- 
ficient to arouse us from the lethargy in which we have so long 
been slumbering. Those generous, noble, expanded feelings, on 
which we are wont to pride ourselves as the tokens of our great- 
ness, and which stand amid the desolation wrought by sin as 
the monuments of what man was when he came from the hand 
of his Creator in all the nobility and grandeur of the image of 
God ; these, alone, should be sufficient to impel us to greater 
diligence in extending the blessings of the gospel. What, 
though the feeble cry of the new-born infant no longer pierce 
our ear, as it sinks in the polluted stream, or falls a prey to the 
devouring monster. — What, though the noise of the drum, and 
the shouts of a multitude of Priests of Baal, no longer drown the 
voices of infatuated females perishing in the flames. — What, 
though the headless trunks of human victims no longer lie before 
the hideous image of the " Black Mother, 5 ' thirsting for blood — 
and the car of Juggernaut no longer rolls its cumbrous load, 
stained with the gore of self-devoted sacrifices. What are all 
these changes but triumphs of the cross ? And shall we stop here, 
just as these signs of trembling give promise of victory ? These 
are but the outposts of the enemy, and while the victory over 
them should cheer us to further conquest, far be it from us to 
rest here as though all had been achieved. Neither let us be 
disheartened because so little has yet been done — far from little 
is it when it is compared with the efforts which have been put 



XXX INTRODUCTION. 

forth to accomplish it. It is my firm conviction that so little has 
been effected only because so little effort has been made, and 
that, had not God been working with the little band of preachers, 
less still would have resulted. Who can say he has done what 
he could except perhaps here and there a widow who has cast 
in her mite ? Let the thousands spent by professed christians, 
not for personal comfort, but for display and to maintain their 
station in the ranks of the world, compared with the insig- 
nificant sums expended for the extension of the gospel, be the 
answer. Where is the spirit of liberality which an apostle 
praised, leading, to the giving even " beyond that they were able?" 
and, above all, where are the self devoted men and women to go 
forth as heralds of the cross, bearing its glad tidings to those who, 
as yet, are " in darkness and the shadow of death," " feeling after 
God, if haply they may find him ?" Let no one who professes 
to have been redeemed from the just penalty of his transgressions 
by the precious blood of Jesus, say all has been done till he has 
well examined whether he be not called of the Lord to join the 
army of the cross ; and when he has decided that duty does not 
call him into the field, let him see well to it that he supports 
those who are there. Our own mission to the Chinese, how 
long are we to be content with two preachers of the gospel to so 
many millions of people ? Where is the spirit which appeared 
just glowing with promise, when these two came forward to the 
work 1 May it not cease to burn brighter and brighter until its 
radiance has dissipated the gloom which has so long enshrouded 
the nation J* Then when the church of the Lord enters into 
the work with a spirit of holy emulation in stirring up her mem- 
bers to strive each one to be found faithful, whether in little or 
much, we shall see results follow which shall cause what has 
been effected to be forgotten in the comparison. The earnest 
appeal of the present Bishop of Calcutta in behalf of British 
India, may be applied with equal force to ourselves in behalf of 
the whole heathen world. Would to God it might stir up many 
of the pious students of our colleges, that " great might be the 

* Since this was written the Foreign Committee has announced a third as 
ready to go forth. But " what are they among so many V At the same time too 
it announces its fear of a deficiency of funds for the support ofour present feeble 
foreign operations. 



INTRODUCTION. XXXI 

army of the preachers." " Oh that our cry could reach the land 
of our fathers ! Oh that visions not of a single man of Mace- 
donia, but of the hundred and thirty-four millions of Hindoos 
and Mohammedans who are under British sway or British influ- 
ence, might present itself to the pious students at our universities, 
crying, ' Come over to India and help us V 

" Shall men call themselves christians and see the scholar, the 
philosopher, the mere traveller, spring forth on the distant ex- 
pedition and not imitate their example for a much higher object? 
Shall commerce be never weary, never disconcerted in her en- 
terprises, and shall Christianity go to sleep ? Shall the civil and 
military services of India be sought for 'with avidity by the first 
families in the kingdom, and shall the service of Christ be de- 
clined? Shall the privations of a voyage, the languor of an en- 
ervating climate, or the increased hazard of disease, never deter 
men for a moment in every other profession, and shall they 
deter them in this ?" 

Having enjoyed the unusual privilege of a domestication for 
several months in the families of the missionaries of the Church 
Missionary Society at Madras and Calcutta, I am able to bear 
testimony to that which has passed under my own personal ob- 
servation, entering upon that observation too with a mind ob- 
scured by long indulged prejudice against all missionary efforts, 
and these in particular; the subjoined extracts, from letters writ- 
ten at the time, may illustrate the habits and manners of these 
devoted servants of the Lord Jesus, and justify the change which 
witnessing the scenes described produced on my own opinions. 

" It was a lovely moonlight evening, about a week after our 
arrival in Madras, when, fatigued with the noisy, yet cheerless, 
merriment of the dinner table, I turned out for a solitary walk, 
Having exhausted the novelties of the place, and without any 
acquaintance with whom to pass an occasional hour, I began to 
feel that most dreary of all sensations, described by being * a 
stranger in a strange land,' and having nothing to attach me to 
it I longed to be again at sea. As I wandered slowly and list-* 
lessly through the streets thronging with natives, my attention 
was aroused by the sound of the bell of a small chapel, which I 



XXXii INTRODUCTION. 

knew to be attached to the mission stationed in this neighbour- 
hood by the Church Missionary Society ; I entered, and found, 
seated on mats placed on the floor, about fifty natives, of all ages 
and both sexes, neatly and cleanly clothed, and with every ap« 
pearance of humble devotion, waiting the hour of social w T orship. 
Pausing in the vestibule, I stood, contemplating with rapturous 
feeling, a sight so pleasing. I saw the western world rolling 
back upon the East a portion of that knowledge which maketh 
wise unto salvation, which had originally emanated from it. I 
saw, from the land of darkness and the shadow of death, the first 
faint glimmerings of that light which shall one day cover the 
earth, dispelling from the minds of its benighted inhabitants the 
gloomy mists of superstition and idolatry in which for centuries 
they have been enveloped. Indulging glowing anticipations, I 
saw among the interesting youth who sat before me the future 
messengers of the glad tidings of peace, and, contemplating them 
with ' their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel,' saw 
them exposing their lives, willingly, to danger — and their per- 
sons to insult, in the glorious endeavour to bring others to that 
fountain of living waters opened in the house of David, for sin 
and for uncleanness, in which they themselves had been w r ashed 
and purified. Such was the train of my reflections, when I was 
interrupted by a cordial and brotherly salutation from a gentle- 
man ascending the steps from the little court-yard with which 
the chapel was surrounded, into the anti-room in which I stood. 
Finding he was the pastor of the little congregation now as- 
sembled, I requested his permission to stay during the service, 
which, though in an unknown tongue, was possessed of a deep 
interest. The attention manifested by the poor creatures, who 
were thus enjoying one of the greatest privileges afforded to the 
believer, was exceedingly pleasing. At the close of worship, as 
I was about leaving the church, the missionary sent to request I 
would favour him with my address, and on exchanging cards very 
kindly invited me to visit him at his station, which is about three 
miles from Madras, surrounded by a native population. I found 
he was the Rev. William Sawyer, a gentleman of good con- 
nexions, and handsome estate, the first of which he willingly 
sacrificed, and the last employed in the service of his Redeemer — 



INTRODUCTION. XXX11L 

leaving friends and the comforts of civilized life to settle himself 
here among the poor benighted heathen — willing to spend and 
be spent in the endeavour to spread the knowledge of the blessed 
gospel of reconciliation among the votaries of a dark and horrid 
superstition. Having learned these circumstances, I did not hesi- 
tate to visit him early the following morning. 

After riding a considerable distance through miserable villages 
of mud huts, and swampy paddy fields, on a quick turn of the 
road I saw at my side a beautiful Gothic chapel* of white 
stucco, and just behind it a lovely retired little spot, reminding 
me more of home and peace than any thing I had yet seen, a 
small one storied house, completely embosomed in trees, and sur- 
rounded by a neat shrubbery. A narrow lane, passing by the 
chapel and between two rows of cottages, inhabited by native 
christians, led to the house ; at which I was received with that 
true welcome which a christian, and he only, knows how to 
give. But it was not in the exterior of this mansion of love, nor 
in the pleasing reception I met from its master, that the charm 
of the morning consisted. After passing an hour or two in de- 
lightful conversation — the more so when the circumstances in 
which I was placed were taken into consideration, — he invited 
me to accompany him in the performance of his morning duty, 
in visiting a school he has on the premises ; and which is cer- 
tainly one of the most interesting objects in India. Under an 
open shed, each busily employed in his proper task, we found 
about 25 boys, most of them natives, between the ages of 10 and 
16, A few are the children of christian parents ; others of idol- 
aters, selected from a large body of children whom he has under 
the instruction of native teachers, in day schools, in the several 
villages by which he is surrounded, and which he daily visits. 
The principal part of his care, however, is bestowed on this cen- 
tral school. All who are admitted into it must renounce caste, 
and consent to remain entirely with him ; adopting all the habits 
of christians, (excepting as they would interfere with harmless 
local customs,) but especially be regular in their attendance on 
family worship, which for their accommodation is in the Tamul 



* Built at the private cost of Mr. S. 
4 



XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 

language, morning arid evening, and at church on the Sabbath. 
They are first instructed in the principles of their native tongue, 
then in the various branches of a common English education, 
and some in Latin and Greek. I witnessed their examination in 
geography, grammar, reading, &c. and was astonished at their 
progress. The grand object, however, is to bring every thing 
to bear on the one point — the growth in that knowledge which 
maketh wise to salvation. The scriptures, of course, are much 
studied. 

4 * Having spent the morning, I returned to our lodgings, and 
early the next day we sailed for Calcutta. On my return^ I 
hastened to renew an intercourse which, though short, had been 
so full of interest, and did not hesitate to accept an invitation 
to remain, during our stay, with one whose character I so much 
esteemed. An opportunity was thus afforded me of inspecting 
more closely the establishment. Here all that passes around 
the children, day and night, is calculated to show them the 
superiority of that blessed religion, to instruct them in the tenets 
of which so much labour is bestowed. Secluded alike from the 
evil instructions of their connexions, and what is more, the per- 
nicious example of those professed christians who, holding the 
truth in unrighteousness, cause the name of the Lord to be blas- 
phemed among the heathen, — they see before them a brilliant 
evidence of the effects of the gospel of Jesus, where it is received 
in humility, in their teacher ; who, ' constrained by the love of 
Christ,' is thus labouring to bring others to an acquaintance with 
the same blessed hope which supports himself under all his trials. 
The usual avocations of my friend were not interrupted by my 
residence with him, and I thus had an opportunity of witnessing 
his system in its application as well as its effects. Rising at half 
after four, every morning, he receives, in his chamber, the visits 
of such of the boys as may have been led, by the grace of God, 
to hunger and thirst after righteousness. An hour and a half is 
spent, with these, in conversation and private prayer. There is 
no compulsion in this ; all are invited and received who love the 
Lord ; and the nature of the interview is such, that none others 
wish to be present. About eight of the boys avail themselves of 
this privilege. At six the whole family is collected for worship, 



INTRODUCTION. XXXV 

which is in the Tamul language ; after which they breakfast, and 
the children go to their studies, under the immediate superintend- 
ence of a young man who has been educated by Mr. Sawyer, 
and is every way fitted for so important a duty. The greater 
part of the morning is spent by my friend in visiting his out- 
schools, which are under the care of the native christian men, so 
far as he can find them competent to the office ; but he is still 
obliged to employ two or three heathen teachers. By daily 
visiting and catechising them, he labours to acquaint them 
w r ith the principles of Christianity, while they are acquiring 
such knowledge as fits them for respectable employments ; and as 
any of them manifest a disposition to attend to better things, they 
are removed to his house, if the consent of their parents can be 
gained, and once in the week the teachers are required to bring 
all their scholars to the house that they may be examined and 
instructed by himself. In such employment the morning passes. 
After dinner a class of the boys is instructed in Latin and Greek* 
till four, when the little chapel at the road side is opened for the 
purpose of declaring the glad tiding of ' salvation by the remis- 
sion of sins.' The native christians all collect, and generally 
a greater or less number of those who yet ' sit in darkness and 
the shadow of death' are attracted as they pass along ; and, either 
entering or standing in crowds around the door, receive a por- 
tion of that seed, which, blessed by the fostering influence of the 
Sun of righteousness, shall spring up and bring forth much 
fruit. The time which elapses between the conclusion of this 
duty and nine o'clock, is spent either in study, conversation 
with any of the native christians who may want advice, or recrea- 
tion. At nine the family is again collected, and, after expounding 
a portion of the Holy Scriptures, the duties of the day are ended, 
as they began, with prayer and thanksgiving." 

" One of the most interesting of the native schools is that 
attached to the Baptist mission, under the care of Rev. George 
Pearce, near Cossipore, about three miles from Calcutta. In con- 
sequence of his determination to have it understood that his only 
object in coming among them was their conversion to christiani- 

* With the view of qualifying them to act as catechi U or missionaries. 



XXXVI INTRODUCTION. 

ty, he announced to his boys that he should expect all who re- 
mained in his school to sign an agreement, to be ratified by their 
parents under a heavy penalty, that they would continue with 
him three years at least, and use christian books in learning. 
The consequence was that the whole school of more than fifty 
boys left him ; for a few days he laboured under great discourage- 
ment; before long, however, he had the pleasure of finding them 
all return, and before I left India it was one of the largest and best 
conducted schools I had seen. 

" But, one of the greatest changes that has been effected among 
the Bengalese, is in the education of their females. Till within 
a few years they had nothing, except the faculty of speech, to dis- 
tinguish them as rational beings — their knowledge extended no 
further than the facts occurring under their daily observation. 
A large body of them are now in the mission schools, from 
among the low T er castes, and the higher caste people are 
forced from shame to have their daughters educated at home. 
With them, however, there is one cause of difficulty not existing 
in connexion with the boys. The latter are stimulated to the 
necessary exertions by the hopes of being able to obtain situations 
as sircars, There is no stimulus of this kind to induce the 
girls to come forward ; and as, from their present degraded con- 
dition, they cannot appreciate the advantages of education, it is 
found necessary to encourage them by rewards of clothes or 
rice, or small pieces of money. The most flourishing of these 
schools are those of the Ladies' Society of Calcutta, under the 
superintendence of Mrs. Wilson. This lady held the respect- 
able situation of governess, in one of the most noble families of 
England, till, being moved with compassion for the Hindoo 
females, by the accounts which were forwarded of their degraded 
situation, she left her home and all its comforts to engage in 
the tuition of a people little advanced beyond savage life. A large 
building has lately been erected for a central school, in which 
she is to reside, and gather under her immediate care the more 
advanced girls from the different schools scattered over the town," 
and qualify them for teachers. This will be gaining a most im- 
portant point, as they are now obliged to employ sircars, which 
is manifestly improper. From the daily routine of this lady you 



INTRODUCTION. XXXV11 

may judge of the labours of the faithful missionaries of both sexes. 
At 7 o'clock every morning her little carriage may be seen leav- 
ing home, and from that time until eleven, when it becomes so 
warm as to render it impossible longer to keep the children to- 
gether, she is constantly engaged in instructing in one or 
other of her schools, 40 or 50 dirty, filthy dirty, little girls. At 
4 o'clock in the afternoon the same routine commences, and the 
intermediate time is occupied in the instruction of a few little 
orphan girls whom she has adopted, and the necessary cares of 
a family. 

" When she first arrived, she met w T ith nothing but cliscourage- 
ment, even from the missionaries themselves, so hopeless did 
they deem the attempt to improve the condition of the females of 
India. She, however, persevered ; and often relates, with great 
feeling, the incident which encouraged her amid all the opposition 
her plans encountered. Visiting one of the boys' schools in order 
to improve herself in the language, and become acquainted with 
the habits of the children, she observed the teacher (a native man) 
to speak harshly to a child at the door, ordering it away. On 
inquiring the cause, she was told it was a little girl who had 
been long troublesome from her desire to be taught as the boys 
were. 

"By the liberality of the christian population of Calcutta a 
noble building has been erected for the accommodation of a 
central school in the midst of the native quarter of the town, and 
here, without any male protector, and separated by a long dis- 
tance from any christian habitation, she resides with a family of 
heathen girls, whom she is training up in christian principles and 
habits under her own continued supervision. Many of them are 
orphans, who, having no earthly friend but herself, are thus left 
wholly under her influence. She has already seen enough of good 
resulting from her labours to render her thankful that she was 
called to endure the privations and labour she has cheerfully borne. 
And the conviction that, as yet, it is but the first swelling up of 
the fountain head which shall soon be enlarged by kindred springs 
into a noble stream, must give her inexpressible delight in the 
anticipation of the full result of her self-devotion, which will only 
be developed in the great day when secret things shall be re- 

4* 



XXXV1U INTRODUCTION. 

vealed. Who that saw a single unprotected female leaving the 
comforts of civilized life and christian society, to venture forth 
alone, unsupported, nay, even frowned upon by many who were 
the most anxious for the promotion of the cause of missions — 
who that followed her to her port of destination, and saw her there 
received, it is true, with cordiality, but disheartened by the opin- 
ion of those who had been the longest engaged in the work, who 
considered her plan as impossible of execution — who that sat 
down with her in her first effort to instruct the one little girl so 
often repulsed from the boys' school, and still returning to solicit 
instruction, until the Providence of God brought her an instruc- 
tor — who that accompanied her in her fatiguing and fruitless 
efforts to gain others in the filthy lanes and squalid huts of the 
lowest of the native inhabitants, but must admire the strength of 
that faith which could thus endure as seeing things which are in- 
visible—and who that has travelled with her in her depression, and 
witnessed her labour, but must rejoice with her in the great work 
which has been accomplished by her instrumentality, when in- 
formed that the education of the females in the East is the work 
not only of the wives of all the missionaries now in India, and 
its dependencies, but of many ladies sent out by a society ex- 
pressly constituted for the object ? Such results have flowed 
from the persevering efforts of one faithful female." 

The Church of Scotland occupies at present a most important 
position in the missionary field in India. The East India Com- 
pany had established two colleges at Calcutta, the one for the 
instruction of Hindoos, and the other for Mohammedans, in the 
principles of science, from which they carefully excluded all 
christian instruction. Not satisfied with passive opposition, they 
had positively prohibited its introduction among the students ! 
The result of this was just that which might have been foreseen. 
The absurdities of the heathen Mythology w r ere too glaring 
to stand before the light of western science. But while the minds 
of the pupils were thus disenthralled from its bondage, they could 
not rest satisfied with the negative position in which they were 
placed, and soon formed a body of acute and intelligent infidels, 
anxious to disseminate their views in opposition to every system 
of religion among their countrymen. A coalition was formed 



INTRODUCTION. XXxiX 

between the then Archdeacon of Calcutta and some of the princi 
pal missionaries of other denominations resident in Calcutta, for 
the purpose of counteracting this evil influence, which resulted, by 
the blessing of the Lord, in bringing several of these young men 
into the ranks of christian truth. In view of these circumstances 
the Rev. Mr. Duff, the first missionary of the Church of Scot- 
land to India, laboured sedulously among them. He says in his 
report to the assembly of the Church of Scotland, — 

" The evidences in favour of Christianity as a revelation from 
God having been admitted by several as irresistible, and by- 
others no longer opposed, we last of all came to the grand 
terminating object of all ourlabours, viz. the announcement of the 
message itself, the full and free declaration of the essential doc- 
trines of the gospel. It was then, and then only, as might have 
been expected, that vital impressions began to be made. Hither- 
to, we were engaged in the removal of obstacles that opposed 
our entrance into the temple of truth. Having now reached the 
threshold, we crossed it in order to discover and admire the 
beauties of the inner workmanship. Hitherto the intellect 
chiefly was called into exercise. We had now something suited 
to the feelings and the conscience. The word of God is the 
alone direct and efficacious instrument in awakening and regen 
erating a guilty and polluted world ; and the Holy Spirit of God, 
the alone Almighty Agent in crowning this instrumentality with 
triumphs that shall issue in the glories of eternity. Accordingly, 
it was when unfolding, in simple and absolute dependence on 
divine grace, the scripture doctrine of the sinfulness, depravity, 
and helplessness of human nature, that the heart of the first con- 
vert became seriously affected under a sense of the guilt and vile- 
ness of sin ; and, when unfolding the inexpressible love of the 
divine Eedeemer to our apostate world, that another heart was 
touched, yea, melted under the display of such infinite tender- 
ness. Thus it was that the gospel triumphed, and the doctrine 
of the cross, brought home to the heart and conscience, and seal- 
ed by the divine Spirit, maintained its high pre-eminence, as the 
only antecedent to the conversion of a soul towards God. 

" And I must here add that, in the case of some of the indi- 
viduals thus brought to a knowledge of the truth, there was ex- 



Xl INTRODUCTION. 

hibited a demonstration of the power of Christianity, such as 1 
have seldom, if ever, witnessed at home. The case of the third 
one that was baptized, and who now conducts an institution in 
one of the upper provinces, was some whaf peculiar, from the 
trying circumstances attending his separation from his friends. 
Ah ! could any member of this assembly have been present on 
that memorable night, he would have seen what Christianity 
could do, even for a poor brutish idolater. It was about nine in 
the evening ; and if any one here has been in that far-distant land, 
he will know what the external scene was when I say, it was 
on the banks of the Ganges, and under the full effulgence of an 
Indian moon, whose brightness almost rivals the noon-day glory 
of the sun in these northern climes. Two or three had resolved, 
as friends, to go along with this individual, and witness a spec- 
tacle never before seen by us, and perhaps not soon again to 
be seen by Europeans. It was heart-rending throughout. Hav- 
ing reached the outer door of the house, the elder brother of this 
young man advanced towards him, and, looking at him wistfully 
in the face, began first to implore him by the most endearing 
terms as a brother, that he would not bring this shame and dis- 
grace upon himself and his family, (which was a most respecta- 
ble one.) Again and again did he earnestly appeal to him by 
the sympathies, and the tenderness, and the affection of a brother. 
The young man listened, and with intense emotion simply in 
substance replied, 'that he had now found out what error was, 
that he had now found out what truth was, and that he was re- 
solved to cling unto the truth.' Finding that this argument had 
failed, he began to assert the authority of the elder brother, an 
authority sanctioned by the usages of the people. He endea- 
voured to show what power he had over him, if he cruelly brought 
this disgrace upon his family. The young man still firmly re- 
plied, ' / have found out what error is, I have found out what 
truth is, and I have resolved to cling unto the truth.' The 
brother next held out bribes and allurements. There was no- 
thing which he was not prepared to grant. There was no indul- 
gence whatever which he would not allow him in the very bosom 
of the family — indulgences absolutely prohibited and regarded as 
abhorrent in the Hindoo system — -if he would only stop short of 



INTRODUCTION. xli 

the last and awful step of baptism, the public sealing of his foul 
and fatal apostacy. The young man still resolutely adhered to 
his simple but emphatic declaration ! 

" It was now, when every argument had finally failed, that 
his aged mother, who had all the while been present within 
reach of hearing, though we knew it not, raised a howl of agony, 
a yell of horror, which it is impossible for imagination to con- 
ceive. It pierced into the heart, and made the very flesh creep 
and shiver. The young man could hold out no longer. He 
was powerfully affected, and shed tears. With uplifted arms, 
and eyes raised to heaven, he forcibly exclaimed, ' No: I can- 
not stayT And this was the last time he ever had converse 
with his brethern or his mother ! 

" I could not help feeling then, and have often thought since, 
how wonderful is the power of truth — how sovereign the grace 
of God ! If it be said that the Hindoo character is griping and 
avaricious, divine grace is stronger still, and is able to conquer 
it. If it is the yielding and fickle, ay, fickle as the shifting quick- 
sands, divine grace can give it consistency and strength. If it 
is feeble and cowardly, divine grace can make the feeble power- 
ful, and convert the coward into a moral hero. What signal 
testimony do such triumphs bear to the power of the everlasting 
gospel !" 

With this experience of the advantages to be derived from the 
introduction of science in her proper sphere, as the handmaid 
of Christianity, he resolved to establish an institution in which 
she should hold this relation, in which the truths of Christianity 
shall be taught simultaneously with that scientific truth which 
dissipates the clouds of error and superstition. 

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions 
has in India twenty-one missionary stations, twenty-two mission- 
aries, five teachers and printers, twenty-eight female assistants, 
fifty-seven native assistants, and two ordained native missionaries. 
They have under instruction in their schools nearly 8000 children, 
and the native members of their churches, at the various sta- 
tions, amount to 280. The Wesleyan Methodists, the Indepen- 
dents of Great Britain, the Baptists, have all of them active and 
useful missions stationed in various parts of Hindostan. But by 



Xlii INTRODUCTION. 

far the greatest amount of success has attended the labours of 
the Church Missionary Society, an institution of which Dr. 
Buchanan was a consistent and firm supporter, The Christian 
Knowledge Society, and the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel in Foreign Parts, both, also, institutions of the established 
Church of England, have many missionaries in the field. Connect- 
ed with the missions of the former society in South India and 
Ceylon, there are, it is supposed, not less than 20,000 professed 
native christians. In the commencement of their operations, 
being unable to procure missionaries regularly ordained in the 
Church of England, they resorted to the employment of Lutheran 
clergymen, chiefly obtained from Halle, in Germany. The 
Church Missionary Society, from the same cause, resorted to the 
same source for its missionaries, w 7 ho have proved eminently 
useful. "Whole villages have been brought through their instru- 
mentality to the renunciation of idolatry, and the adoption of 
Christianity, which they have adorned by a holiness of life which 
has made them truly lights amid the darkness by which they are 
surrounded. For many years past the converts have maintained a 
society for the purpose of disseminating still further the gospel 
which they have proved precious to themselves, though even to 
the present time they are burdened with the imposition of heavier 
taxes than their heathen neighbours, owing to their strict adher- 
ence to the truth in reporting to the collectors their taxable pro- 
perty, instead of resorting to the expedients commonly employed 
to deceive them. In many instances too these officers, being 
heathens and accustomed to receive bribes that they may under- 
value property, revenge themselves on the christian natives, who 
will not be partakers with them in this fraud upon the govern- 
ment, by overrating their property, and thus subjecting them to 
increased exaction. Yet, notwithstanding all these difficulties, 
the work progresses steadily, and by a late account no less than 
two hundred and £ihy -six families had been added to the church 
in the short space of two months, and this, too, in the Tinne- 
villey district, where, most unhappily, some difference had oc- 
curred between the Lutheran missionaries, and the Episcopal au- 
thority, in consequence of the opinion of the bishop that unjustifia- 
ble concessions had been made to the native prejudices on the 



INTRODUCTION. xliii 

subject of caste. This large addition was made subsequently to 
the adoption of the more rigid system ; surely nothing could 
more clearly demonstrate the solid foundation on which the work 
of the missionaries has been constructed, than the fact that, not- 
withstanding these difficulties, their converts continue steadfast 
in the faith. One most interesting circumstance is related in the 
last annual report of the American Board of Missions. A mis- 
sionary, journeying to a distant station, found at Jalna a native 
christian congregation of forty or fifty members without any 
pastor. There had never been a missionary stationed at this 
point. Most of the members of this little. church had come from 
Madras, and, by associating together, had not only maintained 
their ground, but increased. "What more could be said of any 
congregation in our own favoured country, under similar circum- 
stances ? 

In concluding this Introduction to the Memoir of Dr. Bu- 
chanan, it will not be inappropriate or uninteresting to notice a 
subject suggested by intelligence recently received. We have 
more than once had occasion to advert to the countenance afforded 
by the government to the idolatry of the Hindoos. Time after 
time appeals have been forwarded to the Court of Directors in 
England, on this subject, and it formed a prominent subject of 
discussion in the British Parliament at the time of the renewal 
of the charter. 

The persevering industry of the friends of Christianity appears 
likely at length to be crowned with success. Long every ap- 
peal even to humanity was resisted ; the infant was left to perish, 
a " sacrifice to devils, 9 ' 1 Cor. x. 20. Widows, victims to the cru- 
elty of priests of "devils," were burned by hundreds annually with 
the sanction of professed christian judges ; parents were destroyed 
by avaricious children, anxious to possess their substance, in the 
light of day, and beside the great thoroughfare of the capital of a 
christian government. These abominations have fallen before 
the progress of the gospel. Still christian men are content to re- 
ceive large sums annually as taxes on idolatrous rites, thus giving 
their sanction to the same — and, as though it were not enough 
thus far to be partakers in the sin, a government, professedly 
christian, forces its servants, christians also, to be present at the 



Xliv INTRODUCTION. 

celebration of idol worship, even, though by so doing, the Lord's 
day itself is desecrated ; and in some instances, not content with 
the passive sanction of their presence, they are compelled to make 
an offering to the idol. It is calculated, by one well informed on 
the subject, that the annual revenue received from idol temples in 
the presidency of Madras alone does not fall short of $200,000. 
So lately as the middle of the last year, it appears, by a memorial 
presented by the christian inhabitants of Madras to SirF. Adam, 
that the onerous task of drawing the idol car on days of festival, 
was only effected by the agency of the police, thousands of the 
poorer classes being forced, under the orders of the collectors and 
magistrates, from their homes for the performance of this special 
duty ; and this interference is viewed by the great body of the 
people as a vexatious and oppressive act of power, to which they 
submit only on compulsion. The memorial, praying for the aboli- 
tion of this and other equally objectionable customs, was signed 
by 11 chaplains, 39 missionaries, 30 civil servants of the com- 
pany, 111 military officers, and 11 medical officers, and was 
presented by the bishop of Madras, with the expression of his 
entire approbation of its petitions and statements. One part of 
the petition had been anticipated by the Governor in consequence 
of the death of fifteen individuals over whom one of the cars was 
drawn in the month of March. Thanks to the indefatigable ex- 
ertions of Mr. Poynder, the attention of the Court of East India 
Proprietors has again been drawn to these subjects, and the result 
has been such as to afford a cheering prospect that ere long this 
stain on the character of Great Britain will be obliterated. Stand- 
ing forth as she does with a national church the bulwark of 
Christianity, and a people foremost in every work which has for 
its object the temporal happiness and spiritual good of man, may 
she soon be purified from all blemish, and continue to be the rally- 
ing point for the friends of rational freedom and scriptural 

TRUTH. 



MtmolvB of the sxtb. ®v. Muttonm. 



PART I. 



CHAPTER!. 

It is by no means uncommon in the history of those who 
have in any manner distinguished themselves among their 
contemporaries, to find them deriving no peculiar honour 
from their ancestors, but rather reflecting it upon them ; and 
becoming themselves, if not the founders of a family, yet the 
sole authors of their fame. Of the truth of this observation, 
an instance is afforded by the subject of the following me- 
moirs. His remote origin might perhaps be traced to some 
of those who have in different ages illustrated the name of 
Buchanan ; but it is not known that he ever claimed any such 
distinction, nor is it a point which it is at all necessary to 
ascertain. If, however, the biographer of this excellent man 
is unable to deduce his descent from the possessors of world- 
ly rank or talent, an honour which may be unjustly de- 
preciated as it is sometimes unduly prized, he may at least 
assert, that his immediate progenitors were endowed with 
more than an ordinary share of christian piety ; an honour, 
in his estimation, of a higher nature ; and a blessing, which, 
as he peculiarly valued it, was not only a source of pleasing 
and grateful recollection, but might not improbably form one 
link in the chain of causes which led to his own distinguish- 
ed worth and usefulness. 

Claudius Buchanan was born at Cambuslang, near Glas- 
gow, on the 12th of March, 1766. He was the son of Mr. 
Alexander Buchanan, a man of respectable learning, and of 
excellent character, who was highly esteemed in various 
parts of Scotland, as a laborious and faithful teacher, and 
who a few months previous to his death was appointed rector 
of the grammar school of Falkirk. 



2 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

His mother was the daughter of Mr. Claudius Somers, 
one of the elders of the Church at Cambuslang about the 
period of the extraordinary occurrences which took place in 
that valley, in consequence of the preaching of the celebrated 
Mr. Whitfield, in the year 1742.* Notwithstanding the 
enthusiasm and extravagance which probably attended those 
remarkable scenes, it is unquestionable, that many were ex- 
cited to a deep and lasting sense of real religion. Amongst 
this number was the grandfather of the subject of this Me- 
moir ; whose piety was imbibed by his daughter, the mother 
of Buchanan. By both these excellent persons he appears 
to have been carefully trained, from his earliest years, in re- 
ligious principles and habits. He is described, by one of 
his surviving relatives, as having been distinguished from his 
youth by a lively and engaging disposition. He is said also 
to have recollected the serious impressions which were 
sometimes made upon his mind by the devotions of the pa- 
ternal roof, and by the admonitions which his grandfather, 
from whom he derived his baptismal name, and who seems 
to have regarded him with peculiar affection, was accustomed 
to address to him occasionally in his study. And though, 
as it will afterwards appear, the instructions and example of 
these pious relatives were not immediately productive of any 
decided and permanent effect, he must be added to the num- 
ber of those who ultimately derived essential benefit from 
having been brought up " in the nurture and admonition of 
the Lord ;" and consequently as affording fresh encourage- 
ment to religious parents to pursue a course which has been 
so frequently crowned with success, and which is seldom, 
it may be hoped, altogether in vain. 

In the year 1773, at the age of seven years, young Bu- 
chanan was sent to a grammar school at Inverary in Argyle- 
shire, where he received the rudiments of his education, and 
is said to have made considerable proficiency in the Latin 
and Greek languages. He continued at Inverary till some 
time in the year 1779, when he was invited to spend the 
vacation with his school-fellow, John Campbell, of Airds, 
near the island of Mull; and in the following year he re- 
ceived an appointment, which would be deemed extraordi- 
nary in this part of the kingdom, but is by no means uncom- 
mon in Scotland. This was, to be tutor to the two sons of 
Mr. Campbell of Dunstafnage, one of whom was, in the 
year 1803, Captain of the East India Company's ship, 

* See Gillies's Historical Coll. vol. ii. p. 339. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 3 

United Kingdom. As he had then only just completed his 
14th year, his literary acquirements can scarcely be expected 
to have been extensive. Yet the very appointment to such 
an office, at so eaily an age, is in itself honourable to his 
character, and his continuance in it during nearly two years 
may suffice to show, that his conduct proved satisfactory to 
his employer. About this time he was again under con- 
siderable impressions of a religious nature, which he com- 
municated to his excellent grandfather, who carefully che- 
rished them, and assured him of his prayers. For a few 
months he continued in this promising course, spending much 
time in devotion amidst the rocks on the sea-shore near which 
he was then residing: but at length his serious thoughts 
were dissipated by the society of an irreligious companion, 
and his goodness, like that of many a hopeful youth, vanish- 
ed " as a morning cloud, and as the early dew ;" nor was it 
till many years afterwards, that painful and salutary convic- 
tions led him to seek that God whose early invitations he 
had ungratefully refused. 

The residence of Buchanan at Dunstafnage might proba- 
bly have been longer, had it not interfered with a necessary 
attention to the progress of his own education. In the year 
1782 he therefore left the family of Mr. Campbell, and pro- 
ceeded to the University of Glasgow ; where he remained 
during that and the following year, diligently pursuing the 
various studies of the place. 'Whether his academical course 
was interrupted by the failure of his pecuniary resources, or 
was the result of deliberation and choice, is uncertain. It 
appears only that he left Glasgow' in the year 1784, and 
went to the Island of Islay, for the purpose of becoming 
tutor to the sons of Mr. Campbell of Knock melly. In the 
following year, from some cause, obviously not unfavourable 
to his character, we find him removed to Carradell in Kin- 
tyre, and performing the same office to the sons of Mr. 
Campbell of that place. In the year 1786, however, Bu- 
chanan returned to the college at Glasgow ; and a certificate 
in that year, from the Professor of Logic, testifies not only 
that he had regularly attended upon the public lectures of 
that class, but that, in the usual examination and exercises, 
he had given commendable proofs of attention, diligence, 
and success in the prosecution of his studies ; and that he 
had behaved with all suitable propriety of conduct and man- 
ners. At the conclusion of the academical session he re-? 
turned to Carradell, and resumed his employment as a tutor ; 
in which capacity it is presumed that he continued until the 



4 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

commencement of the autumn in the following year; when 
he quitted his native country, under very singular circum- 
stances, and entered upon a project, on which, as it after- 
wards appeared, depended the future tenor of his life. 

Mr. Buchanan had, from his earliest years, been intended 
by his parents for the ministry in the Church of Scotland : 
but being naturally of an ardent arid excursive turn of mind, 
he, at the age of seventeen, during his first residence in the 
University of Glasgow, conceived the design of making the 
tour of Europe on foot ; that being the only method of travel- 
ling, upon which his slender finances would allow him to 
calculate. His chief view in this romantic project was, 
doubtless, to see the world ; yet not, as he afterwards de- 
clared, without some vague and undefined intention of ap- 
plying the information which he might collect during his 
tour to some useful purpose. It was not, however, till 
nearly four years afterwards, during which, as we have seen, 
he was diligently employed in acquiring and imparting 
knowledge, that a circumstance occurred, which, though it 
did not originally suggest this design, certainly tended to 
hasten his departure from Scotland.* This was an impru- 
dent attachment to a young lady, who happened to be on a 
visit to the family in which he was then residing, and who 
was superior to himself in birth and fortune. The affection 
was mutual, but the disparity of their rank and station 
seemed to form an insuperable barrier to their union. Mr. 
Buchanan became in consequence very unhappy, and in the 
height of his passion recurred to his favourite and long-che- 
rished plan of a foreign tour ; in the course of which, with all 
the sanguine expectation and the inexperience incident to his 
feelings and his age, he hoped to advance his fortune, and 
returning to his native country, to obtain the object of his 
wishes. Strange and unpromising as this project undoubted- 
ly was, he was eager to accomplish it. But though his 
thoughtless ardour reconciled him to the culpable expedient 
of deceiving his parents, he was unwilling to leave them 
clandestinely. For the purpose, therefore, both of avoiding 
any opposition to his scheme, and of relieving them from 
uneasiness, he invented a story, which, engaged as he had 
long been in tuition, seemed by no means improbable. He 
pretended that he had been invited by an English gentleman 

* A very different account of the circumstances, which led to Mr. Bu- 
chanan's emigration from his native country, has been given to the world : 
but the public may be assured, that it is entirely devoid of foundation in fact. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 5 

to accompany his son upon a tour to the continent ; and as 
this engagement not only offered some present advantages, 
but held out nattering hopes of his future advancement in 
life, not inconsistent with their original intentions, his friends 
consented to the proposal, and permitted him to leave Scot- 
land. Of this singular expedition, and of his subsequent 
history during several years, Mr. Buchanan long afterwards 
gave several distinct but consistent narratives, from which 
the following account is extracted. After briefly mentioning 
the circumstances which have been previously stated respect- 
ing his education and studies, and the scheme which he had 
devised for effecting his departure from his native country 
and friends, and his intended travels upon the continent, 
Mr. Buchanan suggests the obvious question, how he was to 
accomplish such a plan, destitute as he was of pecuniary re- 
sources. To this he replies, that the greater his difficulties 
were, the more romantic would his tour appear ; and then 
proceeds as follows. 

"I had the example of the celebrated Dr. Goldsmith be- 
fore me, who travelled through Europe on foot, and support- 
ed himself by playing on his flute. I could play a little on 
the violin, and on this I relied for occasional support during 
my long and various travels. 

44 In August 1787, having put on plain clothes, becoming 
my apparent situation, I left Edinburgh on foot with the in- 
tention of travelling to London, and thence to the continent: 
that very violin which I now have, and the case which con- 
tains it, I had under my arm, and thus I travelled onward. 
After I had proceeded some days on my journey, and had 
arrived at a part of the country where I thought I could not 
be known, I called at gentlemen's houses, and farm-houses, 
where I was in general kindly lodged. They were very 
well pleased with my playing reels to them, (for I played 
them better than I can now,) and I sometimes received five 
shillings, sometimes half a crown, and sometimes nothing 
but my dinner. Wherever I went, people seemed to be 
struck a little by my appearance, particularly if they entered 
into conversation with me. They were often very inquisi- 
tive, and I was sometimes at a loss what to say. I professed 
to be a musician travelling through the country for his sub- 
sistence : but this appeared very strange to some, and they 
wished to know where I obtained my learning ; for some- 
times pride, and sometimes accident would call forth ex- 
pressions, in the course of conversation, which excited their 
surprise. I was often invited to stay for some time at a 

a2 



6 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

particular place ; but this I was afraid of, lest I might be dis- 
covered. It was near a month, I believe, before I arrived on 
the borders of England, and in that time many singular oc- 
currences befel me. I once or twice met persons whom I 
had known, and narrowly escaped discovery. Sometimes I 
had nothing to eat, and had no where to rest at night ; but, 
notwithstanding, I kept steady to my purpose, and pursued 
my journey. 

Before, however, I reached >the borders of England, I 
would gladly have returned ; but I could not : the die was 
cast ; my pride would have impelled me to suffer death, I 
think, rather than to have exposed my folly ; and I pressed 
forward. 

" When I arrived at Newcastle, I felt tired of my long 
journey, and found that it was indeed hard to live on the be- 
nevolence of others : I therefore resolved to proceed to Lon- 
don by water ; for I did not want to travel in my own coun- 
try, but on the continent. 

" I accordingly embarked in a collier at North Shields, 
and sailed for London. On the third night of the voyage we 
were in danger of being cast away during a gale of wind ; 
and then, for the first time, I began to reflect seriously on 
my situation." 

During the violence of the storm, as he afterwards ac- 
knowledged to a friend, Mr. Buchanan felt as if the judg- 
ment of God, as in the case of Jonah, was overtaking him ; 
but, unlike the repenting prophet, no sooner had the tempest 
of the elements subsided, than the agitation of his mind also 
passed away. He arrived safely in London on the second 
of September : " but by this time," he continues, in one of 
his letters referred to, " my spirits were nearly exhausted by 
distress and poverty. I now relinquished every idea of go- 
ing abroad. I saw such a visionary scheme in its true light, 
and resolved, if possible, to procure some situation, as an 
usher or clerk, or any employment, whereby I might derive 
a subsistence : but I was unsuccessful. I lived sometime, in 
obscure lodgings, by selling my clothes and books ; for I did 
not attempt to obtain any assistance by my skill in music, 
lest I should be discovered by some persons who might 
know me or my family. I was in a short time reduced to 
the lowest extreme of wretchedness and want. Alas ! I had 
not sometimes bread to eat. Little did my mother think, 
when she dreamt that she saw her son fatigued with his 
wanderings, and oppressed with a load of wo, glad to lie 
down and sleep away his cares on a little straw, that her 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 7 

dream was so near the truth ! What a reverse of fortune was 
this ! A few months before, I had lived in splendour and 
happiness ! But even in this extremity of misery my eyes 
were not opened. I saw indeed my folly, but I saw not my 
sin : my pride even then was unsubdued, and I was con- 
stantly anticipating scenes of future grandeur, and indulging 
myself in the pleasures of the imagination. 

" After I had worn out many months in this misery, ob- 
serving one day an advertisement in a newspaper, for a 
1 clerk to an attorney,' I offered myself and was accepted. 
I was much liked, and soon made friends. I then obtained 
a better situation with another gentleman in the law, .and, 
lastly, engaged with a solicitor of respectable character and 
connexions in the city, with whom I remained nearly three 
years. During all this time I had sufficient allowance to ap- 
pear as a gentleman ; my desire for going abroad gradually 
abated, and I began to think that I should make the law my 
profession for life. But during a great part of this time I 
corresponded with my friends in Scotland, as from abroad, 
writing very rarely, but always giving my mother pleasing 
accounts of my health and situation." 

Notwithstanding the preceding brief observation, that his 
allowance from his employers enabled him to make a genteel 
appearance, there are various intimations, in a memorandum 
book kept by Mr. Buchanan during a part of this period, 
that he was frequently a sufferer from the pressure of pover- 
ty : nor is this to be wondered at, when it is known, that the 
utmost salary which he received amounted only to forty 
pounds per annum. Accordingly, it appears, from several 
notes in the account book which has been referred to, that 
he was sometimes under the necessity of pledging articles of 
clothing, and in one instance his watch, for the purpose of 
procuring a little ready money ; and even this painful ex- 
pedient did not always afford him such a supply as to pre- 
vent him from occasionally recording, that he had been 
obliged to go without a breakfast or a supper; and once that 
he had neither breakfasted nor dined. It must, however, be 
acknowledged, that while this humble cash account is chiefly 
made up of his expenditure upon the necessaries of life, Mr. 
Buchanan seems to have wasted not a little of his scanty al- 
lowance on public amusements ; amongst which the theatre 
frequently occurs, and sometimes debating societies. 

From one of the brief memoranda contained in a pocket- 
book, from which the preceding circumstances are derived, 
and which are chiefly written in Latin, it appears that Mr, 



8 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

Buchanan's father died on the 24th of August, 1788, precisely 
a twelvemonth after his own departure from Scotland. This 
event was probably communicated to him by his excellent 
mother, and must, it may be reasonably supposed, have 
awakened some peculiarly distressing feelings in the mind of 
her absent son ; conscious as he must have been of the de- 
ception which he was practising upon their unsuspecting 
confidence. No symptom, however, of the ingenuous 
shame, which, it may be hoped, he could not but occasional- 
ly feel for such misconduct, is apparent in his diary. He 
merely mentions, that his widowed parent had written to 
him in the spring of 1789, upon the mournful subject of a 
monument to his late father: to which he replied by a letter. 
dated the 12th of May 9 from Florence, which he despatched 
on the 25th following. A subsequent entry notices his dis- 
appointment in not again hearing from his mother, whom, 
amidst ail his wanderings from the path of integrity and 
virtue, he evidently regarded with unfeigned reverence and 
affection ; while another states the arrival of an answer from 
her to a recent letter of inquiry from himself, which, either 
from the favourable account of his parent's welfare, or its 
salutary influence upon his own mind, appears to have af- 
forded him much pleasure. 

It cannot, however, be a matter of surprise to any one. 
who considers the imprudent manner in which Mr, Buchanan 
had left his native country, the deceit which he was practis- 
ing upon his friends, the faint prospect which he could 
reasonably entertain of any considerable success in the 
world, and, above all, the pious education which he had re- 
ceived, to rind, that the memoranda in question exhibit fre- 
quent marks of his inward perplexity and nnhappiness. 
Thus, on the 10th of May, 17S9, he records, in Latin, with 
an emphasis of expression which evidently proves the depth 
and sincerity of the feelings with which he wrote : " I have 
lived, I know not how, in a state of forgetful ness. or in- 
toxication, to this day !" And on the 15th of July follow- 
ing, he briefly extends the same painful confession to that 
time. Within three days after the first of these dates, Mr. 
Buchanan was seized with a severe attack of fever, during 
which, he observes, that he had experienced, as might very 
naturally be expected, most uncomfortable reflections on his 
present situation. These, however, appear to have made no 
deep or lasting impression upon him, but, as in too many 
similar instances, to have vanished with the temporary alarm 
which occasioned them. Accordingly he soon afterwards 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. J 

states, that he had on that morning written part of a letter to 
his mother, and with the careless levity which in irreligious 
and impenitent minds returns, when they are relieved from 
the immediate fear of punishment, had altered his " plan of 
death and misfortune, to that of fortune and festivity.*' 

He laments also, that on his recovery he had broken some 
salutary resolutions which he had made during his illness, 
and adds, with that fretful and impotent violence which 
characterizes those who are irritated rather than humbled by 
the consciousness of their weakness, and are ignorant of its 
only effectual remedy, " I swear I'll do so no more. O ! 
that I knew how to persevere in good resolutions, as well as 
to make them ! This has been my failing from my infancy." 
Who has not been compelled to make the same humiliat- 
ing reflection, until acquainted with Him of whom the sub- 
ject of these memoirs was as yet practically ignorant ! with- 
out whom we can do nothing, but by whose gracious assist- 
ance the christian can do all things ! 

Amongst the various notices of his feelings and engage- 
ments, which occur in these memoranda, there are several, 
which prove that, amidst the incessant labour of an employ- 
ment, which occupied nearly twelve hours of each day, Mr. 
Buchanan occasionally contrived to devote a part of his scanty 
leisure to literary pursuits. Unhappily, indeed, he was at 
this period so little under the influence of religion, that the 
Sabbath was too often spent in the study of Virgil and Ho- 
race ; though at other times his reading on that sacred day 
appears to have been of a graver nature. But the latter 
hours of his evenings, which were not dedicated to amuse- 
ment, seem to have been laudably employed in storing his 
mind with classical and general knowledge, and occasionally 
in improving his memory by artificial rules and practice. 

Though the irreligious state, in which Mr. Buchanan was 
at this time living, led him too generally to neglect public 
worship, his early habits still induced him sometimes to enter 
the house of God. Upon one of these occasions he appears 
to have been much struck with the conduct of a young 
friend, who was so deeply alarmed while the preacher was 
displaying the terrors of the Lord in the future punishment 
of the wicked, that he rose up, leaving his hat behind him, 
and walked out of the church. It is understood that Mr. 
Buchanan considered this person as having been afterwards 
made spiritually useful to him. 

Two short notes in the summer of the year 1789 indicate, 
that there were, even at that period, seasons in which he 



10 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

thought much and seriously upon his own state, and upon 
religious subjects ; during which his reflections were some- 
times gloomy and desponding, and resembling " the sighing 
of the prisoner" for deliverance ; and at others cheered by a 
faint and distant hope of one day enjoying, through the in- 
finite grace of God, the comforts of religion. 

In the following year some traces occur, in the brief jour- 
nal from which the preceding circumstances are extracted, 
of pious feeling in his mind. He notices a religious con- 
versation with a friend, and adds, that he had in consequence 
thought seriously of a reformation. He mentions emphati- 
cally a season of private prayer, and his intention of pur- 
chasing a new Bible, when he could afford it; and while he 
confesses, on one occasion, with evident regret, his dis- 
inclination to religion, and alleges as one of the immediate 
causes, or symptoms, of this evil, the indulgence of morning 
slumbers, he observes, on another, that he had declined the 
invitation of a friend to a visit in the country on the follow- 
ing Sunday, upon religious principle, though he did not at 
the moment distinctly avow it. All these are circumstances 
indicative of a mind awaking from the deadly sleep of sin to 
the life of righteousness, and introductory to that important 
change of sentiment and conduct which was now approach- 
ing. 

It is possible, indeed, that some may be at a loss to un- 
derstand the meaning of this language, or to conceive the 
necessity of any other alteration in the religious character of 
Mr. Buchanan, than the correction of a few venial errors and 
trifling irregularities, or the supply of certain obvious omis- 
sions in his conduct. The determination of this question 
must undoubtedly depend upon the general views of those 
who consider it. In proportion as the standard of practical 
religion is either elevated or depressed, will be the judgment 
of every one as to the actual state, at this period of his life, 
of the subject of these memoirs. If slight views are enter- 
tained of the evil of sin, of the guilt, misery, and danger of 
a sensual and worldly life, and of the nature and extent of 
christian faith and holiness, the moral and religious de- 
ficiencies of Mr. Buchanan will certainly appear trivial and 
unimportant. But if, as the scriptures unequivocally assert, 
to live in the habitual neglect of Almighty God, though a 
formal acknowledgment of his being and attributes may be 
professed, is virtual impiety ; to avow the name of christian, 
but to refuse the homage of the heart to Jesus Christ as a 
Saviour, is real unbelief; and occasionally to indulge in 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 1 1 

wilful sin, though the external manners may be decent and 
correct, is practical ungodliness ; then was it evidently 
necessary, that a great and radical change should be effected 
in Mr. Buchanan's dispositions and conduct ; then was it 
essential to his present and future happiness, that he should 
•« repent and believe the gospel." 

That this was the conviction of Mr. Buchanan himself, 
unquestionably the most competent judge of this interesting 
subject, plainly appears from his own declarations in the let- 
ters from which some preceding extracts have been made. 
"Since my coming to London," he observes, "until June 
last, I led a very dissipated, irreligious life. Some gross 
sins I avoided ; but pride was in my heart'; I profaned the 
Lord's-day without restraint, and never thought of any re- 
ligious duty. Thus I lived till within these few months ; 
exactly three years since my voluntary banishment from my 
native country ; three tedious years ; and for any thing I 
could have done myself, I might have remained in the same 
state for thirty years longer. But the period was now ar- 
rived, when the mercy of God, which had always accom- 
panied me, was to be manifested in a singular manner. I 
had a very strong sense of religion when I was about the 
age of fourteen ; and I used often to reflect on that period ; 
but I had not, I believe, the least idea of the nature of the 
gospel. It was in the year 1790 that my heart was first 
effectually impressed, in consequence of an acquaintance 
with a religious young man." 

Of the person thus briefly mentioned, and of the important 
effects which resulted from one remarkable meeting with 
him, the following is a more distinct and detailed account. 

" In the month of June last," observes Mr. Buchanan, 
writing in February 1791, " on a Sunday evening, a gentle- 
man of my acquaintance called upon me. I knew him to be 
a serious young man, and out of complaisance to him I gave 
the conversation a religious turn. Among other things, I 
asked him, whether he believed that there was such a thing 
as divine grace ; whether or not it was a fiction imposed by 
grave and austere persons from their own fancies. He took 
occasion from this inquiry to enlarge much upon the sub- 
ject ; he spoke with zeal and earnestness, and chiefly in 
scripture language, and concluded with a very affecting ad- 
dress to the conscience and the heart. I had not the least 
desire, that I recollect, of being benefitted by this conversa- 
tion ; but while he spoke, I listened to him with earnestness ; 
and before I was aware, a most powerful impression was 



12 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

made upon my mind, and I conceived the instant resolution 
of reforming my life. On that evening I had an engagement 
which I could not now approve : notwithstanding what had 
passed, however, I resolved to go ; but as I went along, and 
had time to reflect on what I had heard, I half wished that it 
might not be kept. It turned out as I desired : I hurried 
home, and locked myself up in my chamber ; I fell on my 
knees, and endeavoured to pray ; but I could not. I tried 
again, but I was not able ; I thought it was an insult to God 
for me to pray ; I reflected on my past sins with horror, and 
spent the night I know not how. The next day my fears 
wore off a little, but they soon returned. I anxiously await- 
ed the arrival of Sunday ; but when it came, I found no re- 
lief. After some time, I communicated my situation to my 
religious friend : he prayed with me, and next Sunday I went 
with him to hear an eminent minister. This was a great 
relief to me ; I thought I had found a physician : but, alas ! 
though I prayed often every day, and often at night, listless- 
ness and languor seized me. Sometimes hope, sometimes 
fear presented itself, and I became very uncomfortable. Go- 
ing one morning to a bath, 1 found on a shelf Doddridge's 
Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This book I 
thought just suited me. I accordingly read it with deep at- 
tention, and prayed over it. I next procured Alleine's 
Alarm to the Unconverted, and dwelt on it for some time. 
My religious friend then gave me Boston's Fourfold State. 
This I read carefully, and I hope it did me some good. I 
now secluded myself entirely from my companions on Sun- 
day ; and during the week, the moment business was done, 
I went home to my studies ; and have since wholly with- 
drawn myself from pleasure and amusement. In this man- 
ner have I passed the seven last months, continually praying 
for a new heart, and a more perfect discovery of my sins. 
Sometimes I think I am advancing a little, at others I fear I 
am farther from heaven than ever. O the prevalence of 
habit ! It is not without reason that it has been sometimes 
called a second nature. Nothing but the hand of the Al- 
mighty who created me can change my heart." 

" About two months ago I wrote my mother some par- 
ticulars of my state, and requested her prayers, for she is a 
pious woman. In her answer, written by my sister, is the 
following passage, * My mother has heard much of Mr. 
Newton, Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, and wishes 
that you would cultivate an acquaintance with him, if it is in 
your power.' " 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 13 

It was, in fact, to this venerable man, that the letter, from 
which these as well as some preceding extracts have been 
made, was addressed. Nor must the occasion be omitted of 
paying a passing tribute of respect to the memory of that 
eminently pious and useful minister of Jesus Christ. The 
chosen and highly valued friend of Cowper could not indeed 
have been a common or uninteresting character. He was, in 
truth, far otherwise. However a world, incapable of appre- 
ciating spiritual excellence, may be disposed to treat his faith 
as a delusion, and his character as enthusiastic, the history of 
Mr. Newton will convince the candid inquirer, that the gos- 
pel is still " the power of God" to the conversion and salva- 
tion even of the chief of sinners ; while the unblemished purity, 
the active benevolence, the exemplary fidelity, and the unde- 
viating consistency of a course of more than forty years, suffi- 
ciently illustrate the holy and practical tendency of the doc- 
trines which he had embraced ; and prove that the grace which 
had brought peace to his conscience, and hope to his soul, had 
at the same time effectually taught him "to live soberly, 
righteously, and godly in the world." 

The lively and substantial interest which Mr. Newton took 
in the situation and welfare of Mr. Buchanan, is one amongst 
many other instances of the christian kindness which habitu- 
ally warmed his heart. The person who was thus addressing 
him was at that time an utter stranger. After mentioning, 
therefore, some of the particulars respecting his family, and 
his early history, which have been already stated, Mr. Bu- 
chanan thus proceeds. 

" On the receipt of my mother's letter, I immediately re* 
fleeted that I had heard there was a crowded audience at a 
church in Lombard street. Thither I accordingly went the 
next Sunday evening ; and when you spoke, I thought I heard 
the words of eternal life : I listened with avidity, and wished 
that you had preached till midnight." Mr. Buchanan laments, 
however, that this pleasing impression was too soon effaced $ 
and that, although he constantly attended Mr. Newton's ser- 
mons with raised expectations and sanguine hopes that he 
should one day be relieved from the burthen which then op- 
pressed his mind, he had hitherto been disappointed. " But," 
he adds, with genuine humility, " I have now learned how un- 
reasonable was such an early expectation : I have been taught 
to wait patiently upon God, who waited so long for me." 

"You say," he continues, "many things that touch my 
heart deeply, and I trust your ministry has been in some de- 
gree blessed to me : but your subjects are generally addressed 

B 



14 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

to those who are already established in the faith, or to those 
who have not sought God at all. Will you then drop one 
word to me ? If there is any comfort in the word of life for 
such as I am, O shed a little of it on my heart. And yet I 
am sensible that I am not prepared to receive that comfort. My 
sins do not affect me as I wish. All that I can speak of is a 
strong desire to be converted to my God. O sir, what shall I 
do to inherit eternal life ? I see clearly that 1 cannot be happy 
in any degree, even in this life, until I make my peace with 
God : but how shall I make that peace ? If the world were 
my inheritance, I would sell it, to purchase that pearl of great 
price. 

How I weep when I read of the prodigal son as described 
by our Lord ! I would walk many miles to hear a sermon from 
the 12th and 13th verses of the thirty-third chapter of the se- 
cond book of Chronicles."* 

After apologizing for thus intruding upon one to whose at- 
tention he had no personal claim, Mr. Buchanan concludes as 
follows : 

" My heart is overburthened with grief, and greatly does it 
distress me, that I must impart my sorrows to him who has so 
much himself to bear.t My frequent prayer to God is, that 
he would grant you strong consolation. To-morrow is the day 
you have appointed for a sermon to young people. Will you 
remember me, and speak some suitable word, that, by the aid 
of the blessed Spirit, may reach my heart ? Whatever becomes 
of me, or of my labours, I pray God that you may prove suc- 
cessful in your ministry, and that your labours may be abund- 
antly blessed." 

The preceding letter was addressed to Mr. Newton anony- 
mously ; but so simply, yet so forcibly does it describe the 
state of a penitent, awakened to a just apprehension of his sin 
and folly, and earnestly desiring relief, that it could not fail to 
excite in the mind of a man of so much christian benevolence, 
a degree of lively sympathy with the feelings, and of interest 
in the welfare, of the writer. His letter, however, being not 
only without any signature, but without any reference to the 
place of his residence, the only method which occurred to Mr. 
Newton of conveying any reply to him was, by giving notice 



* The following are the affecting verses alluded to by Mr. Buchanan : " And 
when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself 
greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him : and he was en- 
treated of him, and heard his supplication." 

t Mr. Newton was at this time suffering under one of the severest domestic 
calamities. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 15 

in his church, that if the person who had written to him anony- 
mously on such a day were present, and would call upon him, 
he should be happy to converse with him on the subject of his 
communication. This intimation Mr. Newton accordingly 
gave, and an early interview in consequence took place be- 
tween them. 

" 1 called on him," says Mr. Buchanan, in a letter to his 
mother, " on the Tuesday following, and experienced such a 
happy hour as I ought not to forget. If he had been my father, 
he could not have expressed more solicitude for my welfare. 

Mr. Newton encouraged me much. He put into my hands 
the narrative of his life, and some of his letters ; begged my 
careful perusal of them before I saw him again, and gave me a 
general invitation to breakfast with him when and as often as 
1 could." 

Of the meeting immediately subsequent to this first interview 
no account has been preserved. That it was mutually pleas- 
ing and satisfactory, is evident from the intercourse which 
afterwards took place between them, and which was ultimately 
productive of such important consequences. 

"I cultivated," says Mr. Buchanan, " a close acquaintance 
with Mr, Newton, and he soon professed a great regard for me." 

The grand subject, which would of course immediately oc- 
cupy the attention of both, was the reality and the completion 
of the recent change in the moral and religious character of Mr. 
Buchanan. Though the public and private instructions of Mr. 
Newton would, from his well known views of Christian doc- 
trine, incline him to exhibit to the awakened and trembling 
penitent the free and full forgiveness of the gospel, he would 
doubtless urge with equal solemnity and earnestness the neces- 
sity of ascertaining the sincerity of his repentance, the genuine- 
ness of his faith, and the stability of his resolutions of obe- 
dience to the divine precepts. That such was the general 
tenor of the counsel which was imparted upon these occasions, 
plainly appears from several succeeding letters of Mr. Bu- 
chanan ; and though it is to be lamented that those of his pious 
correspondent to which he refers are not now to be found, it 
is evident, from various traces of their contents, that they were 
admirably calculated to relieve the distress, to remove the diffi- 
culties, and to direct the conduct of his new disciple. 

Thus, in the venerable person to whom the providence of 
God had introduced him, Mr. Buchanan found an enlightened 
and experienced guide, a wise and faithful counsellor, and at 
length a steady and affectionate friend ; while the latter dis- 
covered in the stranger who had been so remarkably mad§ 



16 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

known to him, one who displayed talents and dispositions 
which appeared to him capable of being beneficially employed 
in the service of their common Lord and Master. 

Before we proceed, however, with the narrative of their 
future intercourse, it may not be unnecessary to offer a few 
observations respecting the change in the religious and moral 
dispositions of Mr. Buchanan, which has been thus particu- 
larly described, for the purpose of obviating some probable ob- 
jections and misapprehensions upon this subject. 

It is possible, on the one hand, that some may perceive in 
Mr. Buchanan's ingenuous statement, little more than an ex- 
ample of that sudden and enthusiastic conversion, which it is 
so much the custom to ridicule and to decry ; while, on the 
other, an equally numerous class of readers may be inclined to 
think that the circumstances thus related are easily to be ac- 
counted for, and little to be regarded. The one, in short, may 
be disposed to treat the whole as visionary and delusive ; the 
other, as weak and unimportant. 

In reply to the former of these objections, it may be observed, 
that even admitting the change in question to have been sud- 
den, it does not necessarily follow that it was enthusiastic and 
visionary. "I do not in the smallest degree," says a pecu- 
liarly calm and cautious writer,* " mean to undervalue, or 
speak lightly of such changes, whenever, or in whomsoever 
they take place ; nor to deny that they may be sudden, yet 
lasting : nay, I am rather inclined to think that it is in this 
manner that they frequently do take place." But in the pre- 
sent case, sudden as that impression appears to have been, 
which was the turning point in the mind of Mr. Buchanan 
between a life of sin and of religion, between the world and 
God, it was neither the first nor the last which he experienced ; 
but one of many previous convictions, which had been com- 
paratively ineffectual, and of many subsequent influences, which 
issued in the real conversion of his heart to God, and which 
continued through his future course to establish and edify him 
in christian faith and holiness. The substantial effects which 
followed sufficiently rescue the impressions which have been 
described from the imputation of enthusiasm, and vindicate their 
claim to a more legitimate and divine origin. 

If the spiritual change, however, which has been thus ex- 
plained, is acknowledged by some to have been devoid of any 
thing delusive or visionary, it may still perhaps be considered 
by others as neither extraordinary nor important. The reli- 

* Dr. Paley, Sermons, p. 1,23, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 17 

gious education of Mr. Buchanan, it may be alleged, might 
naturally have been expected to lead, at some period of his 
life, to such a result; and the change in his character and con- 
duct was only such as a regard to truth and propriety abso- 
lutely required. 

The early associations and habits of Mr. Buchanan un- 
doubtedly favoured the hope that he would eventually become 
a real christian : but their very inefficacy in restraining him 
during several years from a course of insincerity, vanity, and 
sin, is alone sufficient to prove that nothing short of that di- 
vine influence, to which he ascribed his conversion, could at 
once have convinced his understanding, and changed and pu- 
rified his heart. With respect to the extent and importance of 
this change, it must not be estimated solely by the reformation 
of his external conduct, striking and decisive as it was : merely- 
moral or prudential considerations might, perhaps, have been 
sufficiently powerful to have produced such an improvement. 
But how many, who either never deviated into what is grossly 
immoral, or whom inferior motives may have reclaimed from 
such a course, are, nevertheless, unconscious of the spiri- 
tuality of that divine law, which reaches to the thoughts and 
intents of the heart, and consequently of those innumerable 
transgressions of its pure and extensive demands, and of that 
inward corruption and weakness, which lead the awakened 
mind to the deepest humiliation and repentance, and prepare 
it to embrace with lively gratitude the forgiveness and grace 
of the gospel ! How many also, who are exemplary, per- 
haps, in social and relative duties, are yet destitute of any thing 
which can be justly called the love of God, and cannot be said 
to be actuated by any specific and prevailing desire of pleas- 
ing him, or of living to his glory! 

It is, however, from considerations and comparisons such as 
these, that the nature and importance of the change which took 
place at this period in the character of Mr. Buchanan must be 
determined. It was initial, indeed, but it was radical ; it was 
imperfect in degree, but universal as to its objects and influ- 
ence. It not only redeemed him from a sinful and worldly 
course, but gradually introduced him to a state of " righteous- 
ness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." It rendered 
him, in short, " a new creature." He felt the powerful in- 
fluence of the love of Christ; and cordially acquiescing in the 
unanswerable reasoning of the great Apostle, " that if one 
died for all, then were all u dead,"* he resolved no longer to 

*2Cor. v. 14— 16. 
b2 



18 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

live unto himself, " but unto Him that died for him, and rose 
4i again." 

Such was the change, which by the effectual grace of God 
was produced in the subject of these memoirs ; and such will 
be found to have been its practical results in his subsequent 
life and conduct. To the development, therefore, of these, as 
affording its most satisfactory vindication and illustration, let 
us next proceed. 



CHAPTER II. 

About a fortnight after the date of his first letter, Mr. Bu- 
chanan again wrote to Mr. Newton, for the purpose of com- 
municating to him a strong inclination, which he had lately 
felt, to revert to the profession for which he was originally 
designed. 

•' Yesterday morning," he observes, " I went to hear Dr. 
S. Near the conclusion of the service, I was insensibly led to 
admire this passage of the prophet Isaiah, * How beautiful are 
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace V It occur- 
red to me, that that enviable office was once designed for me i 
that I was called to the ministry, as it were, from my infancy. 
For my pious grandfather chose me from among my mother's 
children to live with himself. He adopted me as his own 
child, and took great, pleasure in forming my young mind to 
the love of God. He warmly encouraged my parents' design 
of bringing me up to the ministry. I particularly recollect 
the last memorable occasion of my seeing this good grand- 
father. The first season of my being at college, I paid him a 
visit. He lived but five miles from Glasgow. After asking 
me some particulars relating to my studies, he put the follow- 
ing question to me : ' What end I had in view in becoming a 
minister of the gospel V I hesitated a moment, thinking, I 
suppose,, of some temporal blessing. But he put an answer 
into my mouth. * With a view, no doubt/ said he^ ■ to the 
glory of God.' I recollect no other particular of the conver- 
sation but this. It made a strong impression on my mind, 
and even often recurred to my thoughts in the midst of my 
unhappy years ; and lastly, I thought of my present profession 
and prospect in life. It suddenly came into my mind, that I 
might yet be a preacher of the gospeL I began to consider 
the obstacles that had hitherto deterred me from attempting it ; 
but they appeared to have vanished. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 19 

" These things passed rapidly through my mind. I won- 
dered that I had not thought of them before. Your sugges- 
tion occurred to me, and I seemed clearly to perceive the hand 
of Providence in my not having been articled to the law. I 
now beheld it as an unkindly and unprofitable study, a pro- 
fession I never cordially liked, and was thankful that I might 
shake it off when I pleased. These reflections filled me with 
delight, and as I walked home, the sensation increased ; so that 
by the time I entered my chamber, my spirits were overpow- 
ered, and I fell on my knees before God, and wept. What 
shall I say to these things ? At first I feared this change of 
sentiment might be some idle whim that would soon vanish. 
But when I began to deliberate calmly, reason pleaded that the 
plan was possible : and the wisdom and power of God, and 
my love to him, pleaded that it was probable. I thought that 
I, who had experienced so much of the divine mercy, was pe- 
culiarly engaged to declare it to others. After fervent prayer, 
I endeavoured to commit myself and my services into the 
hands of Him who alone is able to direct me. 

" This day I still cherish the idea with delight. But I am 
much discouraged when I reflect on my weak abilities, my 
slender knowledge, my defective expression, and my advanced 
age. I am now four-and-twenty ; and if I prosecute this new 
desire, I must return to the studies of fourteen." 

At the close of this letter, Mr. Buchanan expresses the 
lively interest with which he had read Mr. Newton's narra- 
tive of his own life. "I am the person," he says, "out of 
ten thousand, who can read it aright; for I can read it with 
self-application. What a balm to a wounded conscience are 
your healing leaves I To-day I have felt a tranquillity of mind 
to which I have been long a stranger. I trust this peace has a 
right foundation." 

It appears, that upon an early interview with Mr. Newton, 
in consequence of the preceding letter, be warmly approved 
the rising disposition of his young friend to change his pro- 
fession, and to devote himself to the ministry of the gospel. 

" He received me," says Mr. Buchanan, " with open arms, 
and in his family worship remembered me in a very affecting 
manner, and prayed for the divine direction in his counsels to 
me. We then passed a considerable time together. He ob- 
served, that this was a remarkable season with me ;. but that I 
must leave every thing with God ; that I must use the means 
which he had appointed for those who aspire to his service ;. 
that I must devote the principal part of my leisure hours to. 
meditation and prayer, and the remainder to the study of the 



20 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



languages ; that I must persevere in this course for a conside- 
rable time ; and then, if it pleased God, he would open a door 
to me. In the mean time," added Mr. Newton, " I would ad- 
vise you to acquaint your mother with every circumstance of 
your situation, and to request, in the first instance, her advice 
and approbation." 

To this suggestion Mr. Buchanan yielded without hesita- 
tion ; and employed a great part of several nights in commu- 
nicating to his affectionate parent an ingenuous narrative of his 
proceedings from the period of his departure from Scotland to 
the present time. At the close of this varied history, in which 
he strongly condemns himself for his past misconduct, he thus 
expresses himself. 

44 And now, my dear mother, how are you affected by this 
account? Is your heart ready to welcome the return of your 
long lost son, or does it reject with just indignation so much 
uij worth mess 1 Whatever may be your emotions, I pray God, 
who has been so gracious to me, to bless this dispensation to 
you. The veil which was between us is at length rent, and I 
am now in peace ; for believe me I have not enjoyed a day of 
peace since I left my father's house. I once thought I would 
rather suffer torture than betray my secret; but my ' sinews 
of iron' are now become like those of a child. Nothing less 
than what I have suffered could have softened so hard a heart 
as mine ; and not even that, unless accompanied by the power 
of God." 

Mr. Buchanan had no sooner made this disclosure to his 
excellent mother, than he communicated the result to Mr. 
Newton in a letter, which closes in the following terms : 

" My desires of returning to my first pursuit, the ministry, 
still continue, and I think increase. Blackstone says some- 
where, that to have a competent knowledge of the law re- 
quires ( the lucubrations of twenty years.' 1 once had the low 
ambition of being such a lawyer. But I am now so impress- 
ed with the dignity and importance of the office of the minis- 
try, that I would with pleasure sit down to-morrow, and de- 
vote, not the lucubrations of twenty years alone, but all my 
life to it. But, alas ! my present situation militates much 
against my wishes. O that He, who has led me thus far, 
would graciously direct my steps !" 

During the three months which followed the date of this 
letter, Mr. Buchanan continued his employment in the law ; 
diligently and devoutly cultivating the spirit of real religion, 
and anxiously revolving in his mind the practicability of ac- 
complishing his wishes respecting the change of his profes- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 21 

sion. Iii the month of July, however, he addressed another 
letter to Mr. Newton, who was then absent from London, in 
which he laments, with much humility and feeling, the pain- 
ful discoveries which he had been making in self-knowledge, 
and the slowness of his progress in his christian course. " I 
have but sipped," he modestly observes, "at Salem's spring — 
Nee fonte labra prolui" He then informs his kind corres- 
pondent and friend, that his late letters from Scotland had af- 
forded him much comfort. " My mother," he says, " writes 
thus : 

44 The hint you gave me in your last, of your piohably join- 
ing the Church of England, caused me, at first, some uneasi- 
ness. I hope you will forgive this. 1 find now r that the dif- 
ference between the two churches consists in discipline only, 
not in doctrine. I am, therefore, easy in mind, which ever 
way the providence of God may see fit to guide you. I am 
happy that you consulted your Bible, and sought the Lord's 
direction upon this occasion. If you east your burden upon 
him, he will direct you aright. Since you were a boy, it was 
impressed upon my mind that some time or other you would 
be a good man. I own, of late years, I was beginning to lose 
my hope, particularly on the supposition of your going abroad. 
I thought with myself, this is not God's usual way of bring- 
ing sinners to himself. But the word of consolation often came 
in remembrance, that ' God is a God afar off.' O how merci- 
ful has he been to you, and how merciful to us, in concealing 
your miserable situation till grace brought it to light ! I do be- 
lieve the discovery a year ago would .... but these recol- 
lections are painful ; therefore I forbear. "What comforting 
letters have you sent us ! Could a thousand pounds a-year 
have afforded an equal consolation ? Impossible. It might, 
indeed, have tied us down faster to the earth, but it could not 
have set our hearts upon the unsearchable riches that are in 
Christ Jesus. Your friends in Glasgow are rejoicing with us : 
some of them saying, ' Had the good old people, (meaning his 
grandfather and mother) been alive, how would this have reviv- 
ed them !' Among your grandfather's papers, I find the en- 
closed letter, written by Mr. Maeulloch to him, in a time of 
distress, when the sins of his youth oppressed him. Read it 
with care, and may God grant a blessing in the perusal." 

It was surely with good reason that Mr. Buchanan added, 
" It is not the smallest of my comforts that I have such a mo- 
ther as this ;" who, though evidently grieved at his past mis- 
conduct, was, as he afterwards expressed it, " overwhelmed 
with joy, that her son, who was lost, had been found." 



23 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

It appears, by the subsequent part of this letter, that Mr. 
Buchanan had a short time before been introduced, by the 
kindness of his friend, to the notice of a gentleman to whose 
munificent patronage he was afterwards indebted for the means 
of accomplishing the prevailing desire of his heart, in entering 
upon the ministry of the gospel in the Church of England. 
This was the late Mr. Henry Thornton ; who, to talents of a 
superior order, and to various and extensive acquirements, de- 
voted during a laborious and honourable course to the most 
important duties of public life, united a warm and enlightened 
attachment to genuine Christianity ; which, while it formed the 
basis of his religious character, not only supplied the rule and 
the motives of his general conduct, but prompted him, in an 
especial manner, to support with calm and steady zeal, what- 
ever a remarkably sound and vigorous understanding deemed 
calculated to promote the glory of God, and the present and 
future happiness of his fellow-creatures. It was to this distin- 
guished person that Mr. Buchanan, happily for himself and for 
others, was now made known and recommended. Mr. New- 
ton had been largely indebted to the friendship and patronage 
of the excellent father of this gentleman ; and justly thought, 
that he could not render a more important service to his young 
friend, or one which might eventually be more useful to the 
world, than by introducing him to the son ; who, with higher 
mental powers, inherited that enlarged and generous spirit of 
benevolence, which had associated, in almost every mind, the 
name of Thornton,* with that of philanthropy and christian 
charity. 

The liberal education which Mr. Buchanan had already re- 
ceived, and his advanced age as a student, naturally led his 
friends to wish that it might be practicable to obtain ordination 
for him without so long a preparation as a residence at an Eng- 
lish University for a degree would require. The Bishop, how- 
ever, to whom an application was made for this purpose, dis- 
couraged any such plan, and it was accordingly abandoned. It 
was afterwards thought, that holy orders might be procured for 
Mr. Buchanan at an early period, on the condition of his go- 
ing abroad ; and Mr. Thornton desired him to consider, whe- 
ther his health would allow him to accept the chaplaincy of the 
colony at Sierra Leone. To this proposal Mr. Buchanan, after 
requesting Mr. Newton's advice, signified his cordial assent ; 
but, for reasons which do not appear, this design was also re- 
linquished. For a short time, the mind of Mr. Buchanan 

* See Cowper's " Charity." 



MEMOIRS OF DR. EUCHANAN. 23 

seems to have been somewhat depressed by the failure of these 
attempts. 

" Notwithstanding," he says, at the close of the letter last 
quoted, " your endeavours in my behalf, I have little expecta- 
tion that you will succeed. Providence, I think, has a few- 
more trials and difficulties for me to encounter, before I am led 
into so pleasant a path ; and I know that they are needful to 
make me more humble." 

He felt, too, the absence of his paternal friend and guide, 
and looked around among his acquaintance for a companion, in 
vain. u I have but one serious friend," he observes, " and 
him I only see once in a week or fortnight. Next to the bless- 
ing of communion with God on earth, must surely be the so- 
ciety of his children. Yet I shall not complain, if I can enjoy 
the former privilege ; for then, file solus turba erit." 

Amidst these discouraging circumstances, however, Mr. Bu- 
chanan assures his venerable correspondent, that he was never 
so truly happy in his life, having been guided into " the way 
of peace," relying on the direction of divine Providence, and 
being animated fci by * the hope set before him.' " 

But it was not long before the kindness of the generous pa- 
tron to whom he had been introduced, opened to him a pros- 
pect which his most sanguine expectations had never ventured 
to anticipate : instead of any further attempt to obtain ordina- 
tion for him under his present circumstances, Mr. Thornton 
determined to send him to the University of Cambridge at his 
own expense ; that he might thus enter the church with every 
possible advantage, and be prepared for a higher and more ex- 
tensive sphere of usefulness than any for which he could other- 
wise be qualified. This resolution was scarcely less honoura- 
ble to the character of Mr. Buchanan than to the liberality of 
his patron, whose discriminating judgment afforded no slight 
presumption in favour of any one to whom his protection was 
extended, and whose penetration was, in the present instance, 
amply justified by the event. 

Early in the month of September, Mr. Buchanan commu- 
nicated to his mother, and his friend, Mr. Newton, who was 
still in the country, the joyful news of Mr. Thornton's munifi- 
cent intention. He had been so much depressed by the failure 
of former plans, and the present offer so far exceeded any 
hopes which he had indulged, that he was at first almost tempt- 
ed to think it a delusion ; but on Mr. Thornton's assuring him 
personally of the reality of the proposal, which he appears to 
have originally made to him by letter, he received it with those 
mingled feelings of gratitude and humility, which were the 



24 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

surest pledges that the benevolent exertions of his patron would 
not be made in vain. 

" I was emancipated," he writes to Mr. Newton, " from 
the law a few days ago, and am now willing to enter into the 
eternal bonds of the gospel. I have been endeavouring to ar- 
range my studies, in some measure, preparatory to my going to 
Cambridge ; but I find so much to do, that I know not where 
to begin. I wish to devote my greatest attention to the Bible, 
and am desirous of adopting some regular plan in studying it; 
but I cannot please myself, and I am a perfect stranger to the 
system which is usually followed. The Bible appears to me 
like a confused heap of polished stones prepared for a building, 
which must be brought together, and each of them fitted to its 
place, before the proportion and symmetry of the temple ap- 
pear. I would fain hope that the foundation-stone is laid with 
me ; but the raising of the superstructure appears an arduous 
undertaking, and the pinnacle of the temple is quite out of 
sight, even in idea. I conjectured that probably the articles 
and creeds of the church contain the first principles of the 
oracles of God ; and on this presumption I have begun to 
prove all the articles of my faith by scripture. Whether I am 
right in this mode of study I know not. 

" I never felt myself in more need of divine direction than 
now. When I consider myself so evidently called forth on 
the Lord's side, my heart is faint ; and I am apt to say, 6 Who 
is sufficient for these things ?' I find I am unable to go 
through the important studies before me, unless I am led every 
step. At present it appears to me, that my sole business at 
the University is contained in one line of St. Paul, ' to be en- 
riched with all utterance, and all knowledge ;' or in other 
words, ' to be eloquent, and mighty in the Scriptures ;' which 
are said to have been the accomplishments of the preacher 
A polios. But I find that I must attend to various branches of 
human learning, for which at present I have no relish. Alas ! 
Sir, if St. Paul had sent Timothy and Titus to such a college 
as this, they would have complained to him of such a plan. 
But he would perhaps have answered, as he does somewhere, 
* Till I come, give attendance to reading' — ' that ye may know 
how ye ought to answer every man.' " 

The sentiment expressed in the latter part of the preceding 
extract will not appear extraordinary to those who consider the 
state of Mr. Buchanan's mind at this period, and the one great 
object which he had in view in accepting Mr. Thornton's offer 
of an University education. The same train of thought occurs 
in his next letter to Mr. Newton ; and although he afterwards 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 25 

acquiesced upon principle, in the usual course of University 
studies, it may not be without its use to develope somewhat 
more fully his present dispositions and feelings. 

44 Permit me," he observes to his first excellent friend, " to 
thank you for your letter. It is a mark of your regard, of 
which I am unworthy, and has affixed a seal to the truth of 
your interest in my welfare, which T hope will never be broken. 
Like Hezekiah, I spread it before the Lord, but with a different 
purpose ; not to avert a curse, but to improve a blessing. The 
words in Hezekiah's letter were ' to reproach the living God ;' 
but the words in my letter were to assure me that his name is 
love, that he is very gracious, and that I should serve him with 
a cheerful heart. I have prayed that I may be enabled to do 
so. Your letter is a silent monitor, which I hope at the Uni- 
versity often to consult. It will, I trust, serve as a counter- 
poise to the parade of worldly wisdom, and teach me to re- 
verse the motto of the schools, Ubi philosophus cessat, illic 
incipit theologus. Chrysostom was of your opinion ; he 
says, OTjy <ro<pix etou, cumri xi u ' x av$£a>7nv»s. I think so too ; but I 
also think, that the fault is not in the studies, but in the man- 
ner of pursuing them. If a student could wed himself to the 
Bible, and court the sciences merely as handmaids to her, I 
think this would do very well ; but when we are seized by the 
cacoethes philosophandi, and devote ourselves to what Luther 
calls the idola carnalium studiorum, our taste becomes vitiat- 
ed. Since I received your letter, I have seen something of 
this. I was introduced yesterday to the acquaintance of a cler- 
gyman's son, who has been two years at college, Cam- 
bridge. His father, I understand, sent him to that college that 
he might be under the care of religious tutors. From this ac- 
count I hoped to find him a suitable companion ; but I soon 
discovered that he had no inclination to talk of divinity, or of 
any thing that bore relation to it. His whole conversation 
turned on experimental philosophy and mathematics. I have 
not seen a young man so mathematic-mad in my life. During 
the whole evening I spent with him, his head was, (as Omi* 
cron expresses it,) continually wool-gathering after rhomboids 
and parallelograms. He assures me, that if I do not study 
mathematics very diligently, I shall have no chance at the end 
of my course of obtaining ^the honours.' I told him that I 
had heard college fame was very intoxicating ; that perhaps it 
might be prudent to sip gently of it ; and that as for myself, if 
I could pass my examination with a mediocrity of applause, I 
should be content. He observed, that seven hours a day stu- 
dying mathematics would be sufficient for that. 



26 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 How much reason is there for that * double guard of prayer 
and close walking with God' which you mention, in order that 
I may be enabled to pass through this fire unhurt ! It is happy 
for me that I am not under my own guidance. It seems it is 
necessary for me to be somewhat * learned in the wisdom of 
the Egyptians ;' but I trust it is, that I may be able to see and 
set forth 4 the wisdom that is from above' in a more transcend- 
ent light. 

44 The method you propose for my studying the Bible ap- 
proves itself much to my judgment, and I desire to follow it. 
I have begun it this day in a solemn manner. O that my 
ardour for contemplating the truths of Scripture may never 
abate ! 

44 What you say of a daily retrospect of my past life is an in- 
structive lesson. Is it possible that for forty years it should 
have been so with you ? I fear I shall come far short of this ; 
and yet how much reason have I to sing of the mercies of the 
Lord all the day long ? Is there any one of his children who is 
more indebted to him as the God of providence and of grace 
than I am ? Who can 4 sing of mercy and of judgment' as I 
can, when I remember him from the land of my nativity, all 
the way by which I have been led ? How few are there who 
would believe that a man could be found capable of displaying 
so extraordinary an act of munificence as that with which Mr. 
Thornton is now honouring me ? Were I possessed of both 
the Indies, I could scarcely do more for myself than he is now 
doing. And how unworthy I am of all this ! When I think 
of these things, it is the grief of my heart that I cannot more 
admire and love that gracious Saviour, who has so highly 
favoured me. As yet, I have a very imperfect view of what I 
have passed through : but I trust these things will be shown 
me, as I shall be able to bear them. 

44 Mr. Thornton intends that I shall go to Queen's college ; 
chiefly, I believe, because he is acquainted w r ith the Presi- 
dent,* and thinks that circumstance may be advantageous to 
me. I am happy to hear so favourable an account of Cam- 
bridge. It will be an encouragement for me to maintain my 
ground, when I see some around me who dare to be singular. 
It shall be my endeavour to attend to your advice with respect 
to my conduct to my superiors. I shall often pray to be endued 
with a meek and quiet spirit ; and endeavour implicitly to com- 
ply with every rule and every injunction in the University, for 
the Lord's sake." 

* The very reverend and learned Dr. Miiner, Dean of Carlisle. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 27 



CHAPTER III. 



Such were the views with which, in Michaelmas term, 1791, 
Mr. Buchanan was admitted a member of Queen's college, 
Cambridge. " The day of my leaving London," he observes 
in a letter to his brother, " was very solemn. It was on Mon- 
day the 24th of October, exactly four years and two months 
since my entering that city. But with what a different spirit 
did I leave it, compared with that with which I had entered it ! 
Had I seen at that time, in the book of Providence, all that I 
was about to do and to suffer in that city, I suppose I should 
hardly have dared to approach it : but God wisely conceals 
from us a knowledge of the future. 

On the morning and evening preceding my leaving London, 
I was earnest in prayer for a blessing on my intended journey 
and its consequences. One request in particular was, that I 
might be favoured with the acquaintance of some pious com- 
panions in my studies. To this prayer I had an early answer, 
A gentleman set out with me from London in the same coach 
for Cambridge. He studied two seasons at Glasgow, as I did ; 
then, like me, passed some years in vanity ; and now comes 
to the University to qualify himself for preaching Christ, as I 
hope I do. This singular similarity in our circumstances 
occasioned a happiness of which none but ourselves could 
partake." 

With a modesty and regard to frugality which reflect upon 
him much credit, Mr. Buchanan was at first disposed to enter 
as a Sizar; but upon the representations of the tutors, and of 
the friends to whom he had been recommended, he determined 
on being admitted as a pensioner. In a letter to Mr. Newton, 
written soon after his arrival at Cambridge, he very feelingly 
describes the perplexity which he had anticipated from the con- 
trariety of the studies to which he was called, to the prevailing 
dispositions of his mind. Until he was actually at college he 
cherished the hope of being permitted to devote his chief at- 
tention to divinity, and to the mathematics only secondarily. 
But he found that the reverse was expected from him ; and that 
the excellent friends, to whom his patron had introduced him, 
were quite as strenuous as his tutors m representing to him the 
necessity of complying with the established course of study in 
the University. Independently of the repugnance which Mr. 
Buchanan felt to this plan from the peculiarly serious frame of 



28 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

his mind at this period, he feared that by yielding to it he should 
disappoint the expectations of the friends who had sent him to 
Cambridge, and eventually frustrate the great object which he 
and they mutually had in view. The comparatively advanced 
age, too, at which he had entered the University, would na- 
turally tend to strengthen this apprehension, and to dispose him 
to dedicate his time exclusively to theological pursuits. The 
state of doubt and uneasiness produced by these circumstances 
affected both his spirits and his health ; but after stating the 
reasonings of his Cambridge friends, and his own feelings and 
inclinations, he expressed to his respected correspondent his 
resolution to follow that course of conduct, which, after mature 
deliberation, should appear to him to be the path of duty. 

In the case of students in general, entering at the usual 
period at either University with a view to holy orders, how- 
ever religiously they may be disposed, there can be no doubt 
either as to the duty or the wisdom of devoting their chief at- 
tention to the prescribed studies of the place. A competent ac- 
quaintance with the learned languages, and with the stores of 
historical and ethical knowledge which they contain ; the prin- 
ciples of sound reasoning, and the elements, at least, of general 
science, are essential to the formation of an enlightened and 
able theologian. The basis of such a character must, indeed, 
be deeply laid in an experimental acquaintance with real re- 
ligion ; and it were devoutly to be wished, that this were more 
generally considered as an indispensable qualification in every 
candidate for the ministry, and that more effectual encourage- 
ments and facilities were afforded in our Universities for its at- 
tainment. But if to the spirit of piety be not added the ad- 
vantages which are to be derived from the wise and temperate 
pursuit of human learning, there is great danger that religion 
itself will suffer in the hands of those who are thus unprepared 
to teach, to defend, and to adorn it. In the present instance, 
Mr. Buchanan was already possessed of such a share of learn- 
ing as might have been sufficient to qualify him for the dis- 
charge of the ordinary duties of a Christian minister ; but it 
was obviously desirable that this should be strengthened and 
enlarged by fresh accessions at the seat of science, to which 
the providence of God had so remarkably conducted him. Nor 
was it long before his judgment was convinced by the argu- 
ments of his friends, that the very honour of religion required 
his acquiescence in such a measure ; and that, however the ap- 
pointed studies of the University might appear to be foreign to 
the important purpose for which he had entered it, they would 
ultimately tend in the most effectual manner to promote it, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 59 

Among those who concurred in this salutary advice was Mr. 
Newton himself; and to him Mr. Buchanan early in the fol- 
lowing year announced his disposition to yield to their sug- 
gestions. 

44 1 think," he observes, "that my way is clearer than it 
was, and I hope soon to have little doubt of my path of duty at 
college. Your letter helped to pave the way for me. I have 
now taken up the study of the mathematics ex ammo, that is, 
from a persuasion that God wills it. And for them I have 
made a sacrifice of some other studies truly dear to me. I 
tried for a time to continue them both, but I found it impossi- 
ble ; so that now, that portion of the day which 'I have s,et 
apart for divine things is extremely short, compared with 
what I once thought it would be ; and yet I dare not tell 
some of my friends here that it is so long." 

It will be readily imagined, that Mr. Buchanan had various 
difficulties to encounter on commencing his academical course. 
He had indeed been received by the Vice-President, in the 
absence of Dr. Milner, and by the tutors, with much attention 
and kindness ; but having been entirely unacquainted with the 
mathematics before his entrance at college, it was only by hard 
study that he could contrive to keep pace with the lectures. 
M I once thought," he says, " that I should have been obliged 
to acknowledge my inability, and to have fallen behind, and 
was wishing for the last day of term as eagerly as ever truant 
did for a holiday. However, I was enabled to keep my ground, 
and my difficulties were never known, even to my tutor. This 
vacation will give me room to have some little beforehand ; so 
that I hope to pass with more ease and credit through the suc- 
ceeding terms." 

From the time of his coming to college, according to the 
information of a contemporary friend, Mr. Buchanan was ex- 
ceedingly regular and studious, keeping but little company, for 
the sake, he supposes, of economy, both as to expense and 
time. 

His situation, too, was at first peculiarly unpleasant, from 
iinding scarcely a single companion, whose sentiments and 
habits were congenial with his own. His indisposition to ge- 
neral visits even rendered him the subject of much animadver- 
sion. But from this trial he was shortly relieved by the praiss 
which he received from his tutor for a Latin theme, the com- 
position of which, though he had written nothing in that lan- 
guage for some years, was pronounced to be superior to that 
of any other student. He was in consequence treated with 
much additional respect by his fellow collegians, was allowed 

c2 



30 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

to visit them upon his own terms, and even received several 
applications to assist them in their studies, which served as a 
stimulus to his own exertions. 

No sooner, however, had Mr. Buchanan determined on the 
diligent pursuit of his academical studies, than the wakeful 
spirit of pietv, by which he was animated, made him anxious 
to guard against the possible dangers to which such a plan 
might expose him. For this purpose he cultivated the ac- 
quaintance of the more serious students at different colleges ; 
and at his solicitation they agreed to meet regularly for the 
purpose of reading the New Testament, and conversing prac- 
tically upon some chapter which had been selected. Their 
meetings were begun and ended with prayer. It is well known 
that such proceedings are regarded in our Universities, to say 
the least, with much jealousy, and are generally discouraged. 
Why meetings for religious improvement, when conducted as 
this at Cambridge appears by Mr. Buchanan's letters to his 
correspondents to have been, should be disapproved, more 
than debating, or other academical societies, for the purposes 
of conversation or even of festivity, it is not easy to disco- 
ver. Young men, it is said, are incompetent to conduct with 
advantage discussions of a religious nature. But is their judg- 
ment at all better qualified to determine moral, or political 
questions ; and is not the danger, whatever it may be, in the 
one case equal to that of the other I Both, it may be replied, 
are inexpedient. And if meetings of either kind are intended 
for the mere purpose of display, it is readily admitted, that 
the time consumed in them might be much more profitably 
employed. But in the case in question, the society met not so 
much for the purpose of discussion, as of raising a barrier 
against the undue influence of secular learning on the minds 
of those who were almost exclusively employed in its pur- 
suit ; and of cherishing that spirit of piety and devotion, the 
cultivation of which, in themselves and others, was to form the 
one great business of their lives. Meetings such as these 
may, indeed, and ever will be, objected to by those who per- 
ceive greater danger in the w T armth of zeal, than in the cold- 
ness of indifference ; but it may be permitted to those who, 
like. Mr. Buchanan, have experienced not only their safety but 
their benefit, to vindicate, if not, under the regulation of that 
judgment which is seldom altogether wanting in our academi- 
cal students, and in submission to academic discipline, to re- 
commend them. 

In addition to the society which has been just mentioned, 
Mr. Buchanan was invited to spend an hour on Sunday even- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 31 

ings at the rooms of one excellent person,* who has been dis- 
tinguished during many years for his active and zealous sup- 
port of religion in Cambridge, and to whom a numerous body 
of clerical and other students have been successively indebted, 
for the most important instruction and encouragement during 
their academical progress. Of the kindness of this gentleman, 
and of the benefit which he derived from his conversation and 
example, Mr. Buchanan wrote to more than one of his friends 
in terms of the highest respect and gratitude. 

" These engagements," he says to one of them, " prove 
something of a counterbalance to the effects of human learn- 
ing, and preserve my mind from being wholly absorbed in 
philosophy and metaphysics. Besides," and the remark affords 
a striking proof of the sobriety as well as fervour of his piety, 
" I have the opportunity every morning and evening of at- 
tending chapel prayers, which of itself I consider a great 
blessing." 

Yet with all the encouragements with which he now began 
to be favoured, Mr. Buchanan expresses, at the close of the 
same letter, a deep, perhaps a melancholy, train of thought 
and feeling, which is not, however, uncommon with similar 
characters. 

" I often meditate," he adds, " on the vanity of life, and 
the insufficiency of the world to confer happiness. Were I 
assured of my. interest in the Redeemer, I should long for my 
departure. What is there to detain me here ? I have no tie 
to this world, no earthly possession, no person, if I except mv 
mother, for whose sake I desire to live, no idol of any kind. 
What then should induce me to linger here, groaning as I do 
daily with sin, and combating a powerful spiritual enemy? 
Nothing ought to urge me to stay, but a desire to promote the 
glory of God among men. But this desire is with me so 
weak at present, as scarcely to deserve the name. It is but a 
spark. This is my unhappiness. Yet the goodness of God 
may in his own time fan it into a flame." 

Such was the resolution with which Mr. Buchanan engaged 
in the study of the mathematics, that at the close of his second 
term he found himself unequal to none in the lecture-room. 
He had at the same time, though contrary to the usual cus- 
tom, paid equal attention to the classical and logical lectures ; 
but very reasonably doubted whether he should be able to con- 
tinue the same application to so many different objects. 

" Indeed," he says to one of his correspondents, "I doubt 

* Doubtless, the Rev. Charles Simeon. — Am. Ed. 



32 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

much whether I ought to try it ; and for this reason : I find 
that this great attention to study has made me exceedingly lan- 
guid in my devotional duties. I feel not that delight in reading 
the Bible, nor that pleasure in thinking on divine things, which 
formerly animated me. On this account have many serious 
students in this University wholly abandoned the study of 
mathematics, and confined themselves to the classics, composi- 
tion, and the like ; for it seems they generally feel the same 
effects that I do. Now these effects were partly anticipated 
by my friends who advised the study of mathematics ; yet 
they recommended perseverance by all means, and are serious- 
ly concerned for those young men who have rejected these 
studies, and have thus incurred the contempt of their respec- 
tive colleges. Knowing now something of mathematics, I can 
form some opinion of them. I conceive that a course of them 
would be highly profitable to me ; but I doubt whether I 
should run such hazards in completing this course, as you see 
I am exposed to. 

" Your good sense will show you, when reflecting on my 
present situation, that I have much need of that wisdom w T hich 
is profitable to direct. Weak in spirit, weak in body, and 
beset by hard study, which I know by experience to be a 
weariness to the flesh, what can I do but commit myself and 
all my cares to Him who hath hitherto cared for me, and will 
lead me, though blind, by a way I know not ? By such a way 
is he now leading me : I know not whither his goodness is 
conducting me; I trust it is to his service : and yet there is 
such an ocean of mathematics and abstruse study which inter- 
venes between me and usefulness in the ministry, that, like the 
Israelites, I stand on the sea-shore, thinking it impossible to 
get over: but I think also that I hear the Lord by his provi- 
dence, which introduced me to the studies of this place, say, 
6 Go forward.' This I am resolved to do, till his goodness 
illuminate my mind, so that I shall be enabled to discover the 
errors (if any) of my path. If any, did 1 say 1 I know that 
there are many ; but I need grace to abandon them, when I see 
them ; I hope Cambridge University will prove a good school 
of Christ to me. I knew little of myself till I came here," 

Notwithstanding the complaint which Mr. Buchanan ex- 
presses in the preceding letter, as to the unfavourable effect of 
his studies upon his devotional feelings, he occasionally ex- 
perienced very different and more pleasing impressions. 

M I ought," he observes, writing to Mr. Newton not long 
afterwards, "to thank you for your letter. There is an in- 
describable something which pervades the whole of it, and 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 33 

seems to intimate that all is peace and tranquillity within the 
mind of the writer. What an enviable frame of spirit does 
he possess who walks with God ! About a fortnight ago, a 
dawn of that light, with which I suppose the Lord irradiates 
the souls of those that walk with him, shone upon my mind, 
and by its lustre showed me some things I had not seen be- 
fore. I prayed often that this impression of love might not 
leave me. But, alas ! it did leave me : no doubt it was my 
own fault. I would w T alk three times round the globe to at- 
tain it again : but no such great thing is required of me ; I 

have Only to believe ; TUo-rzvu) Kt/g/g, fior.Su pou r» a.7ri<rrtct, 

" After what you have said on the subject of disappoint- 
ment, I am resolved never to be disappointed. But it is a re- 
solution which I fear I cannot keep. Let me pray for grace. 
If I possessed this fountain, all the streams would be mine; 
and among the rest, the christian grace of considering nothing 
in the providence of God a disappointment." 

On the approach of the long vacation, Mr. Buchanan had 
some thoughts of spending a [ew weeks at Lynn, in Norfolk, 
for the benefit of his health, which had been impaired by his 
close application to study. 

Mr. Newton had also invited him to pass a part of the va- 
cation in London ; and in the letter which conveyed this invi- 
tation, an extract from which Mr. Buchanan communicated to 
his brother, his kind friend expressed himself as follows. 

" Our acquaintance was providential indeed ! but it is a 
providence for which I hope ever to be thankful ; and to ac- 
count it one of the chief honours and pleasures of my life, 
to have been made instrumental in bringing you forward. May 
you be kept in the mind you express, to prefer 4 a grain of hu- 
mility to a mountain of gold ;' and you will be like the tree 
described in the first Psalm, and Jer. xvii. when rny head is 
laid in the dust. I hear well of you from all quarters." 

The relaxation, however, thus proposed, both in Norfolk 
and London, as well as the offer of an excursion with a Cam- 
bridge friend, Mr. Buchanan, with commendable self-denial, 
thought it most expedient to decline, and determined on ac- 
cepting the indulgence granted him of remaining in college 
during the whole vacation. 

" It would be very pleasing," he says, " to make a short 
tour with a proper companion ; but I think I could not do it 
without danger to myself. If I were somewhat advanced in 
the christian life, and more stable in the way of truth, I per- 
haps might; but at present I cannot, I dare not trust the de- 
ceitfulness of my own heart. In the retirement of a college, 



34 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

I am unable to suppress evil thoughts and vain wishes ; how 
then must it be abroad ? Besides, I find that the art of study 
is difficult to attain. I must serve a long apprenticeship to it 
ere I am a good proficient. The greatest danger lies in break- 
ing the thread of attention. On whatever study my mind is 
lixed, that study I can with pleasure resume: but if an inter- 
val of a day intervene, my attention is disengaged. I am con- 
scious that I have lost a day as to that study, and find it irk- 
some to begin de novo. But if instead of a day, an interval of 
a week or month should intervene, it would be a Herculean 
labour to resume it; and nothing could smooth the way, but a 
conviction that the interruption was from necessity ; then, in- 
deed, my duty would remove the obstacle. 

" That you may have some idea of the nature of my pre- 
sent studies, I shall subjoin the calendar of a day. 

| bef. 5^| 

6 > Devotional Studies. 

8 ^Breakfast and Recreation. 



.a 



11 ^Mathematics. 

V 

~ > Dinner and Recreation. 

_ > Classics. 

5 3 

6 ^Engagements or Recreation. 
> Classics, or Logic, &c. 

9 J>Devotional Studies. 
10' 
11 
12 

1 

2 

3 



>S!eep. 



i after 4 



Few persons would be disposed to think, on reviewing the 
preceding distribution of his time, that Mr. Buchanan had, at 
this early period of his academical course, assigned too small 
a portion to studies directly connected with his future profession. 
This is, however, the reflection which he immediately suggests 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 35 

to his friend ; expressing his fears, which were certainly ground- 
less, lest his patron should say, that he had not sent him to 
Cambridge to learn geometry; and, above all, lest the science 
which he was thus diligently pursuing should not ultimately 
reward him. It would, indeed, he says, be distressing to him 
to appear unqualified for his office as a preacher; " but then I 
hope," he adds, " I shall make more commendable proficiency 
in my divine studies when I undertake them. This hope 
alone enables me to persevere in my present course." 

The observations which follow in the same letter are too va- 
luable to be omitted. 

44 1 apprehend," continues Mr. Buchanan, " that a student 
should labour as for his daily bread ; not choosing the study 
he may like best, for then it would be no labour, but learning 
the great lesson of self-denial by taking up the study he likes 
least, if it be best for him. If I can by nine hours study a 
day serve my heavenly Master as faithfully as I served Mr. D. 
I think he will give me my hire. You cannot be surprised if 
sometimes I have my doubts, when I see the other serious stu- 
dents walking in a path directly contrary. All of them, I 
think, but one, (Mr. C.) have followed their own inclinations 
in this matter: and, in opposition to the advice of the expe- 
rienced servants of God, have substituted divinity in lieu of 
mathematics. The reason they give is, that they do not see it 
to be so and so. Yet it is worthy of remark, that they do not 
appear to bring forth the fruits that might be expected in those 
very studies they love. I do not think that they live nearer to 
God for it, or make such proficiency as students earnest in their 
work should do. For myself, I know not what is best. Mr. 
C, the mathematical divine, has a more heavenly deportment 
than any of them. This they acknowledge, though it is some- 
what of a paradox to them : but I think it will be solved to 
some of them ere long. I am inclined to believe, that were I 
an eminent saint, I should be a good mathematician, a good 
linguist, a good scripturist. 

44 1 hope that the Lord is leading us all in the right path, 
and directing us individually to those studies which he sees ne- 
cessary for the station he intends we shall fill ; and if any of 
us undertake an improper study from improper motives, or a 
proper study at an improper time, like novices depending on 
our own judgment, I trust that we shall learn by it a lesson 
more useful than any study — a knowledge of ourselves, and of 
our inability to do any thing aright, much less to conduct such 
an important undertaking as the studies of a disciple of Christ. 

44 1 should be exceedingly thankful for any hint that may 



36 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

occasionally occur to you respecting the government of myself, 
and of my studies. The price which I have paid for the little 
wisdom I have obtained is very dear. Gladly then would I 
listen to the voice of experience." 

44 It might, perhaps, be expected, after such evident proofs of 
the enlarged, yet pious and temperate views which Mr. Bu- 
chanan entertained respecting the pursuit of human learning, 
that he would have been advised to continue his course patient- 
ly and uninterruptedly. The peculiar circumstances, however, 
of his case, and even the chastised ardour with which he ap- 
peared to be animated in his academical studies, excited some 
apprehensions in the mind of the venerable friend whose ad- 
vice he had solicited, and induced him to suggest some modifi- 
cation of the plan which he had himself originally approved. 
The particular grounds of his opinion can only now be conjec- 
tured from the tenor of Mr. Buchanan's reply ; which enters 
with so much judgment and feeling into this interesting subject, 
that the insertion of the greater part of it will scarcely be 
deemed superfluous. 

44 1 was in earnest," he begins, 4 ' when in my last I solicited 
your advice and direction : and because I was in earnest, I 
think that your letter will be accompanied with a blessing to 
me. 

44 Your jealousy lest my heart might be gradually attached 
to our academical studies, awakened my fears, and I prayed 
for divine aid while I scrutinized myself and my views ; and 
now I must candidly acknowledge, that I believe your doubts 
to be well founded : I believe that you are right, and that many 
of my friends here are wrong ; I say I believe it, for as yet I 
am not. sure : you and they view me in a different light; hence 
arises this difference of opinion relating to the plan of my stu- 
dies. These gentlemen, not only bred at this University, but 
anxious for its fame, and still more for that of the religious 
students in it, are desirous that we should excel in the studies 
of the place, that we may, as it were, shed some lustre (in the 
eyes of men) on that gospel which the learned despise. The 
grand argument we use against infidels, who deride the truth 
as being only professed by men of weak judgment, is to point 
out some learned christian, (if such can be found,) and then 
say with St. Paul, ( 4 Are you a Hebrew ? so am I,') Are you 
a mathematician ? so is he. Are you a classic, a historian ? 
so is he. What are you ? he is all that; but he is something 
more. Now it is natural to adopt such an argument when we 
can. On this account these gentlemen are eager to incline the 
serious young men to the studies of the University, which they 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 37 

therefore represent as being not only ornamental, but useful. 
Now this may be good advice to a young man who has many 
years before him, and expects to reside as a Fellow of a college, 
and preach occasionally at the University church. But I am 
not of this description ; yet they look upon me as one who is 
to grow old in their own family ; which is as improbable as I 
am averse to it. It was but the other day that one of my 
friends hinted to me, that it would be worth my while to 
change my college, that I might have a good Fellowship as a 
reward for my exertions. I am frequently addressed in such 
words as these — ' Do pray persevere in your reading ; devote 
your evening and morning hour to your closet, but give the 
rest of the day to the studies of the place. Nothing can re- 
dound more to the credit of the gospel. The most holy con- 
duct will not here avail so much as that. Besides, you will 
be amply repaid by your rapid progress, when you begin your 
professional studies.' And now that my college has given me 
both an exhibition and a scholarship, they say, ' Did we not 
tell you so ? You see that religion and diligence in academi- 
cal study are mutual helps to each other.' If I have been al- 
lured by such speeches from those who are superior to 
myself in knowledge and experience, is it wonderful? 

" This, then, is their mistake. They address me as if I 
were always to reside among them, and to remain an example 
either of learning or ignorance. As a young enthusiast, they 
consider themselves responsible for me to the University. 

" On the other hand, you view me as having come to the 
University* not so much to qualify myself for the ministry, as 
to pave the way for my ordination, and think it of little im- 
port whether my name were ever heard in Cambridge or not. 
If this is right, their arguments are mostly out of place. 

Mr. approaches more nearly to your sentiments than 

any of them. 

" I shall now give you the result of my own deliberations 
on the subject. Rather than you should have a moment's un- 
easiness lest the purity of my heart should be tainted by ma- 
thematics, I would throw every mathematical book I have 
into the fire, and make them a funeral pile to the manes of 
your jealousy. For compared with the word of truth, they 
are as dross to fine gold. In a certain degree they may be 
useful, and to that degree I would desire them ; and I hope to 
be led so far, and no farther. At first I disliked them ; but 
considering them as a nauseous medicine which might do me 
some good, I took them up. You, too, bade me. After a 
while, they became more palatable, and at length, a pleasing 

D 



38 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANANT, 

study. For this I was exceedingly thankful, as they were in 
the way of my duty. But now, as I have arrived at a certain 
length in them, and have in view very soon to enter on an im- 
portant office which requires much preparation, I think it will 
he right — not to relinquish them wholly ; I do not mean that : 
but so to circumscribe them, and my other academical ex- 
ercises, as to afford me a considerable proportion of the day, 
(the half, if possible,) for 'the preparation of the gospel of 
peace.' 

" I do not mean to put this sudden resolution into practice, 
till I know whether it be right. From some experience I 
know myself to be weak, injudicious, inconstant, changeable. 
I shall therefore prosecute my studies as usual, till I hear 
from you. Having acquired somewhat of a reputation for my 
attention to college studies, if I can preserve it, it will be a de- 
sirable thing. If not, I cannot help it ; I willingly sacrifice 
it 'to a better name.' 

" You do me great honour in the proposal you have made. 
I would rather serve you in your old age than a sceptre-bear- 
ing king. But I much fear that my services at so early a pe- 
riod will be weak and inadequate. It is like taking a babe out 
of his cradle to support the steps of his aged parent. But I am 
in God's hands : whatever he sees fit for me to do, I hope he will 
incline my heart, and enable me to do it. But as I cannot expect 
that he will work a miracle by qualifying me for his service at 
once, it is certainly my duty to resort to the means now, and 
pray for his blessing on his own studies. Surely I ought not to 
procrastinate. 

" You ask me whether I would prefer preaching the gospel 
to the fame of learning? Ay, that would I, gladly. Were 
I convinced it was the will of God that I should depart 
this night for Nova Zembla, or the Antipodes, to testify of 
Him, 1 would not wait for an audit, or a college exit. There 
is nothing to be found here to satisfy my mind. There are in- 
deed many gaudy vanities of specious appearance, pleasing to 
my fleshly eye ; but if I know my own heart, the Lord Jesus 
is at this moment more lovely to me than the loveliest object 
which the eye can see, or fancy paint. And though I know 
him not as I could wish, yet is he precious. He is that pearl 
which I would willingly buy at the price of all the laurels 
which science ever bore. But I speak this in his strength. 
1 wish not to be tried with wealth, honour, or the applause of 
men. A laurel even in preaching the gospel might intoxicate 
my brain, and drown my humble dependence on God, in 
Lethe. Then, like Lucifer, should I preach humility ! Lord, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 39 

ttiy affections are now in thy possession. O, keep them 
there ! 

" You ask me what are my views? Dear sir, what views 
can / have ? God has his views concerning me : I have none. 
He best knows why he brought me hither : I know not. Once 
I used to think, that as He had wrought so wondrously for 
me, he surely meant me for an eminent preacher of the 
gospeh Pride dictated this. I have now no such high 
thoughts of myself. I am in some degree sensible, that if I ever 
serve the Lord at all, I shall be one of his weakest servants. 
Nor are these mere disqualifying speeches. I have reason to 
fear that I am much more deficient than you apprehend. Ne- 
vertheless, with all my defects, I know the divine power, t 
have laid my hand to the plough ; he can make me useful. 

" You desire to know whether I would accept ordination 
before I take my degree, if it could be procured? Yes, with- 
out any hesitation, if I thought it was the will of God. Were 
I to submit it to our friends here, they would unanimously dis- 
suade it; but I do not feel myself at liberty to consult them. 
In order to have it in my power to assist you as soon as pos- 
sible, I would gladly receive ordination before the prescribed 
time ; but in that case I should desire immediately to alter my 
plan of study, and prepare myself a little, w 7 ho need so much 
preparation. 

64 If my purpose of beginning the studies of divinity be 
proper and practicable, could you give me the outline of what 
you conceive to be best worthy my attention in primordio ? 
Mr. S., I know, will also be glad to lend me every assist- 
ance. 

" A new desire of preaching the gospel has certainly sprung 
up in my heart, accompanied by ideas I do not recollect to 
have had before. I hope it is no delusion. As yet it has pro- 
duced noble effects on my heart and views. But in a month's 
time I shall be better able to say, whether it be of God, or 
no." 

The preceding letter is dated in August 1792, from which 
time till the October following, Mr. Buchanan appears to have 
continued the course of study which he had proposed at the 
commencement of the long vacation. The sentiments, how- 
ever, expressed in that letter, combined with the suggestions 
of the venerable friend to whose advice he naturally paid much 
deference, prepare us to expect some alteration in his plan. 
The question as to the wisdom of such a step, may admit of 
some difference of opinion. Had Mr. Buchanan been a few 
years younger, it would obviously have been his duty to have 



40 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

persevered in his exertions to excel in the peculiar studies of 
the University. No conclusion, however, unfavourable to 
such a course in the case of the generality of students, ought 
to be drawn from his example. He had already proved both 
his ability and his diligence, and had the prospect of attaining, 
even with diminished application, an adequate share of scien- 
tific knowledge. Though it can scarcely be doubted, there- 
fore, that continued and exclusive efforts would have rendered 
him successful in the competition for academical honours ; 
there are but few, perhaps, who, under all the circumstances of 
his case, will not consider him as having piously, if not wise- 
ly judged, in abandoning that flattering pursuit; and in resolv- 
ing to devote a larger proportion of his time to studies more 
congenial to his taste and feelings, and more directly subser- 
vient to his ultimate destination. 

At the close of the long vacation, Mr. Buchanan accordingly 
communicated this determination both to Mr. Newton and to 
one of his friends in Cambridge; who, while he cordially ap- 
proved it, recommended him at the same time not to announce 
it publicly, lest he should incur the imputation of being fickle 
or irresolute in his plans. 

"I fear, however," he observes, in writing to the former of 
these friends, " that it will be difficult for me to conceal the 
change, as I must undergo two examinations next year, which 
will abundantly scrutinize my proficiency ; besides, I have 
many competitors, who will exult when they see me halt. 
But I trust I shall be enabled to make every necessary sacri- 
fice. What is my fame compared with that of the gospel ? 
My desire is, that my light may so shine before men, that 
they seeing my good works may glorify my Father who is in 
heaven." 

The continuation of this letter shows the sincerity of this 
profession, and the anxiety which Mr. Buchanan felt to ful- 
fil it. 

" How happy," he says, " should I be, did I always know 
what these good works are. It is strange that I should err 
when I have the Bible to direct me ; but I find that it requires 
much of divine teaching to apply the general rules of scrip- 
ture to particular cases. For instance, I would gladly know, 
whether it is the will of God that I should associate with my 
fellow students more than I do. Whether I ought to separate 
myself, or mingle with them, endeavour to obtain some 
weight among them, and correct their manners, and seek op- 
portunities of speaking for God. Some of them, perhaps^ 
never heard the terms of the gospel in their lives. If I were 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 41 

* wise as a serpent,' I might possibly, under God, entwine 
some of them in the net of the gospel. Of late this subject 
has been much on my mind, and I have been earnest in 
prayer that I may be made useful to some of them. At my 
rooms they have always acted with the strictest decorum ; 
scarcely a faulty word has been spoken ; and I know not but 
I might have been a restraint upon them at their own. My 
principal reason for resisting their frequent invitations, is a 
fear lest I should lose time in idle conversation, or be una- 
wares led into undue compliances. This latter operated much 
with me. I have been surprised that my conduct did not 
draw upon me their open reproach. But the Lord ' tempers 
the wind to the shorn lamb.' Last year 1 was extremely 
weak, ill-grounded in the truth, and perhaps should have sunk 
under much opposition. During this vacation, I trust I have 
obtained more spiritual strength ; and perhaps I shall soon 
have occasion to exercise it. M 

Those who have experienced similar doubts and difficul- 
ties will be able to enter into the preceding expression of them. 
Mr. Buchanan appears to have steered that middle course, be- 
tween absolute seclusion and indiscriminate association in 
college, which is dictated by enlightened piety and christian 
prudence ; and the general respect in which he was evidently 
held, affords a sufficient assurance of the beneficial influence 
of his example.* 



* The Christian Observer furnishes the following statement in relation to 
Dr. Buchanan's intercourse with his fellow students., from the pen of a " respect- 
ed friend and correspondent.:" " It is true," he observes, " that Dr. B. did not 
mix much in general society, while at college ; but during his last year (when 
I went thither) he laid himself out a good deal to encourage younger men in 
keeping the right way. He called on me immediately on my arrival as a fresh- 
man, and watched over me while he continued at college with all the affec- 
tion of a brother. There were several of Us who used to look up to him as a 
Mentor; and he contrived to allot to us a portion of his time, either calling 
upon us atbreakfasf, or taking us with him when he walked out for exercise. 
In this way, his own time was not wasted; and he gained many opportunities 
of conveying to us both exhortation and encouragement." 

• " To this interesting statement," says the editor, " our friend, [by whom the 
circumstances are stated] subjoins a remark in which we very cordially con- 
cur, and indeed partly for the sake of which we have entered into this detail ; 
4 What extensive good,' he observes, ' might be effected, if religious young 
men, while at college, and especially in their last year, would imitate in this 
respect the example of Buchanan. The youthful mind is then in a state to be 
influenced by the attentions of a superior: and although Dr. Buchanan might 
tiave had more weight with his fellow students, on account of his being a few 
years older than under graduates generally are, yet it may be presumed that 
the well-timed kindness and counsel of a religious senior, especially of one 
wht> has distinguished himself by his academical attainments, will seldom fail 
to produce a favourable impression on his younger associates.' " — Am. Ep, 

d2 



4* MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

In compliance with his request, Mr. Newton had recom- 
mended several books to Mr. Buchanan for the commence- 
ment of his theological studies. To this point he therefore 
next refers. 

" I propose to confine myself to three branches of divinity 
during the following year ; namely, the Bible, Bp. Pearson 
on the Creed, and TVlr. Simeon's Lectures on Revealed Re- 
ligion.* He went through a course of natural religion last 
year. My reason for beginning with Pearson is, because Dr. 
Hey gives public lectures on that author, which I wish to at- 
tend, if my college avocations permit." 

In addition to the motives which have been already stated 
for relaxation in his mathematical studies, Mr. Buchanan 
again mentions in this letter the importance of health, " I 
see," he observes, " many around me whose usefulness is 
abridged by the want of it. Mr. L. and Mr. R., men of 
ability, are both lying by. I begin to think, that if at the 
expiration of my academic course, I have good health, some 
knowledge of the Bible, and some zeal, I may prove as useful 
as some who have great abilities, great eloquence, and — an 
asthma!" 

The paragraph immediately following contains the first spe- 
cific intimation of the important and interesting sphere of mi- 
nisterial labour, to which the providence of God was conduct- 
ing him. 

"Mr. and Mrs. G. passed through Cambridge lately. Mr. 
S. and I dined and supped with them. I hope the conversa- 
tion of that evening was useful to me. From hearing various 
accounts of the apostolic spirit of some missionaries to the 
Indies, and of the extensive field for preaching the gospel 
there, I was led to desire that I might be well qualified for 
such a department, in case God should intend me for it. 
Hence the origin of my three desiderata above mentioned — 
scripture knowledge, some zeal, and good health." 

The subject of elocution is that to which Mr. Buchanan 
next adverts in this letter. 

44 1 have read," he proceeds, "many codicils in my time, 
but I never read any one with such pleasure as that annexed 
to your letter. Do you think it possible that I ever shall be 
able to preach extempore from the pulpit ? You know my 
defect in conversation. I scarcely know a person of any edu- 
cation who is so much at a loss in ordinary expression as I 
am. My fault is not that of Demosthenes, else there might 

» 

* Probably delivered in his church. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 43 

be hopes of amendment. I have no natural defect in the or- 
gans of speech ; but I can never find apt words to express my 
ideas without much premeditation. I have a pretty large 
stock of words in my head, but they are seldom used : so that 
when I am able to draw some of them out, they appear quite 
strange to me. I fancy I have some hundreds which I never 
used in my life. This partly arises from our Scottish mode 
of education — reading much and speaking little ; but chiefly, 
I suppose, from my being secluded from society for so many 
years. During my residence in London, I lived, like the 
Spectator, in silence. My bus : ness was to write, not to 
speak. Since my coming to Cambridge, I have passed most 
of my time in silent study. On an average I suppose 1 have 
not spoken half an hour a day, including both lectures and 
conversation. So you see that taciturnity is a disease in me ; 
an evil habit of five years standing. When a boy I could 
scold well enough, but I do not think I could scold now. In 
conversation I am naturally cheerful, and therefore I must 
speak, whether I can do it well or ill : but I ascribe the pa- 
tience of my company to my cheerfulness, not to my diction. 

" Though I never mentioned it to you, there has scarcely 
been a subject mors on my mind, since Providence opened to 
me a view of the pulpit, than this of public speaking. I was 
in hopes that I should have had some opportunity of improve- 
ment at Cambridge, but I have none. Mr. S. regrets that 
there is no person in Cambridge who teaches elocution, and 
he regrets it much on my account. He has kindly proposed 
to me to read to him once a fortnight. This is my only re- 
source at present. I have little advantage from my college 
companions. Most of them speak ill, and read worse. All I 
can do is to read aloud by myself occasionally. I am per- 
suaded that it would be worth a student's while to spend two 
or three hours a-day, for some years previous to his entering 
into the ministry, in the attainment of that accomplishment 
which distinguished the preacher Apollos. I have often 
thought how glad I should be if oratory were introduced into 
my college course instead of mathematics. Mr. Thornton's 
desires on this head should be an additional inducement to me 
to apply diligently to this study." 

Though the peculiar circumstances of Mr. Buchanan's 
birth and education may account for his complaint and anxiety 
upon the subject of elocution, it is but too notorious, that those 
who do not labour under his disadvantages are frequently as 
deficient, and not seldom much more so, in this important ac- 
complishment To judge by its general, neglect, at least 



44 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

among clerical students, it might almost be imagined, that to 
excel in it is deemed discreditable. The total absence of pro- 
priety, force, and dignity in the celebration of divine service, 
in the public reading of the holy scriptures, and in the delive- 
ry of discourses from the pulpit, which may so commonly be 
observed, can scarcely otherwise be accounted for. An af- 
fected and ostentatious display of artificial elocution in the 
performance of the sacred offices of the church, is, indeed, 
even more disgusting than rusticity and negligence. It is no- 
thing of this kind which is intended to be recommended ; and 
on this account it is by no means advisable to have recourse 
to any secular professors of the art of speaking. It is with 
elocution as with eloquence itself, that clear apprehensions of 
the subject, good taste, and deep feeling, will in all ordinary 
cases, and even under some natural disadvantages, secure the 
most important ends of public speaking. It is, however, a 
point which deserves much more attention than is usually 
given to it ; and amongst other improvements in the present 
age, it must be confessed, that its importance is beginning to 
be more justly appreciated. The prize instituted in the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge for the promotion of this accomplish- 
ment, by the late excellent Bishop Porteus, himself a striking 
example of forcible and dignified elocution, might be imitated 
with advantage in every seminary of learning ; nor can those 
who are judges of good speaking perform a more important 
service to clerical students, than by freely suggesting to them 
hints for the correction of their errors, or the attainment of ex- 
cellence in that art.* 

Mr. Buchanan was probably led to the subject of elocution 
by an appointment to declaim in college in Latin, on the en- 
suing fifth of November. He expresses in the preceding let- 
ter his embarrassment in looking forward to this office ; but 
instead of yielding to his fears, or shrinking from what may 
readily be believed to have been a trial to him, he applied vi- 
gorously to the duty which had been imposed upon him ; and 
after frequent repetition of his composition in private, in one 
of which he enjoyed the advantage of the observations of a 
friend well qualified to advise him both as to the matter of his 
declamation and his manner of speaking, he succeeded in de- 
livering it with more self-possession, propriety, and anima- 
tion, than he had ever exhibited in his own room. 

" This," he adds, " was a great victory over myself, and 

*See Bishop Gibson's instructions to his clergy in the Clergyman's Instruc- 
tor, p. 310, and Archbishop Hort's in the same volume. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 45 

was matter of much thankfulness. When I declaim on a 
more important subject, I trust 1 shall be equally assisted." 

At the commencement of Michaelmas term, Mr. Buchanan 
informed his friend Mr. Newton, that his health was much 
improved ; but that in looking forward to five weeks of lec- 
tures, he feared that deference to his tutors, and his natural 
pride, might lead him to study them more closely than, after 
all that had now passed upon that subject, he felt he ought. 

" I have been indulging myself a little," he observes, " in 
writing a sermon. It is for Mr. S.'s perusal; that he may 
be able to judge of my improvement, if I am spared to write 
another next year. It is on the matter and manner of a 
preacher of the gospel : ' And he spake boldly in the name 
of Jesus •■;' Acts ix. 29. I have just delivered it to Mr. S. ; I 
fear he will think it a rhapsody : and what makes it worse, it 
is twenty-seven pages long. I fancy that youthful sermon- 
writers are generally at a loss how to begin, and when they 
do begin, they know not where to stop." 

Of the manner in which Mr. Buchanan spent the term, 
the commencement of which he announced in the foregoing 
letter, some opinion may be formed by the following, dated 
the 26th of March 1793, -in w r hich he informed the same ve- 
nerable correspondent of its close. 

" Having finished the labours of along term, I sit down with 
pleasure to inquire after your health, to beg your blessing, and 
to request the assistance of your prayers. 

" I hope you will not desire me to show you the fruit of 
my labours. I am very unlike those geniuses who reap know- 
ledge by handsful. My improvement is so slow, that it is 
scarcely visible ; I seem only to vegetate in science. Though 
planted by the banks of the Cam, his stream waters my roots 
in vain. This is humiliating; but it maybe useful, if it show 
me that I am more likely to nourish if planted on the banks of 
the stream of Zion. When I consider how Cambridge is 
favoured, I ought to look on myself as already there. This is 
indeed the case : but, hostile to my own growth, I drink of the 
Cam, and sip of Zion ; whereas I ought to sip of the Cam, and 
drink deep of Zion. 

" For some time past I have been making many discoveries in 
the kingdom of nature, but few in the kingdom of grace. Since 
I last saw you, I have in idea traced the planets in their courses, 
and soared through the regions of boundless space. Philoso- 
phy, I find, agrees with revelation in declaring, that the earth 
(compared with the universe) is but as an atom of the dust that 
cleaveth to the balance. It is indeed highly honoured in being 



46 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

called the footstool of the Most High. The eclipses of the sun« 
the labours of the moon, and the sweet influences of the Plei- 
ades, have also engaged my attention. 

" While thus viewing the things made, one would have 
thought that I should have turned my eyes to their Maker. But 
by a strange pcrverseness, I often found it easier to compre- 
hend an abstruse problem, than to meditate on a simple truth. 
On the whole, however, I have met with no part of science 
which led me nearer to the source of true knowledge, than this 
of investigating the wisdom of God in the creation. 

" In addition to my mathematical studies, I have had a classi* 
cal task assigned me. The college gave out for my declama- 
tion the following thesis. An in Civitate bene constitute^ 
Ludi Scenici admitti debeant? As I considered this to be in 
some measure the cause of religion, I thought it riffht to pay 
attention to it. For this purpose I employed myself in classi- 
cal research, till I had found sufficient authorities from the 
Greeks, Romans, and Fathers, to condemn the stage, not only 
as immoral, but as impolitic. I adverted to the encouragement 
lately given it by the French, and argued thence its evil 
tendency. 

" I have now done with all our lectures, and I am glad of it. 
Though 1 found some things here and there which nattered the 
earthly mind, and pleased vain-glorious reason, yet in all my 
researches have 1 found nothing like — ' Come unto me all ye 
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' 
Perhaps your good memory will remind you that I stole this 
idea from Archbishop Leighton. Agreeably to your recom- 
mendation, I am now reading the Praelections of that good 
man : and I must say, that I have seldom met with such gen- 
uine Christianity in such a classical dress. 

" The college have lately appointed me their librarian. This 
is an office rather of trust than of emolument. My business 
is easily done, as I am only required to give in an account of 
the state of the library once a year. Many good divines of 
the last century have found a place in it. Halyburton's life 
has engaged my attention for a few days past. His work on 
the Spirit" (which had probably been recommended to him by 
Mr. Newton) " I cannot find." 

It may perhaps be objected, that the progress of this narra- 
tive is too much interrupted by the insertion of so many ex- 
tracts from Mr. Buchanan's letters ; more particularly as some 
of them relate only incidentally to himself. Such a sugges- 
tion may possibly arise on the perusal of the folio wing ; which, 
however, seemed to convey sentiments and consolation too in- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 47 

terestinor to be omitted. They occur in a letter to Mr. New- 
ton, from Cambridge, dated May the 30th, 1793. 

" It crives me great pleasure to hear that you are still sup- 
ported in health and strength sufficient for the discharge of 
vour ministerial labours. 1 hope that you will continue to be 
refreshed abundantly with the divine presence ; and I pray, 
that as your body yields to weakness and the infirmities of age, 
vour spirit may derive new strength from our Redeemer's 
fulness. 

" 1 sometimes find myself indulging a wish, that your ex- 
perience in your evening hour may be singularly joyful to 
you ; and that your death may preach as powerfully as your 
iife has done. But I believe self prompts us sometimes to too 
sanguine expectations respecting our friends. Let us not dic- 
tate, but wait and see the salvation of the Lord. He will con- 
duct you in the path most suitable to his own glory, your good, 
and our edification. 

" We have lately had an illustrious instance of God's good- 
ness to his children at the hour of death. Mrs. , of this 

place, was a woman of eminent piety, cheerful in disposition, 
and of elegant manners. She was but twenty-five years of 
asre. I was introduced to her family about a twelvemonth ago, 
and have diligently cultivated her acquaintance ever since. 
Soon after her rising from her confinement, she discovered that 
she was in a rapid consumption ; and in a few weeks the 
strength of the malady seemed to forbid all hopes of life. Her 
bodily pains were extreme, so that she frequently expressed a 
desire to be with the Lord ; but she had yet two ties to earth — 
her husband and her child. The child she was soon enabled 
to give up, but the husband — this she confessed to be a trial in- 
deed. However, after strong cries and tears, she obtained a 
victory here also. She afterwards recovered from a trial of 
another kind with an animating faith in her Redeemer's love, 
and an assurance of the joy about to be revealed. This was 
on Sunday morning at five o'clock. In half an hour after, she 
intimated that her departure was at hand. It was now that she 
experienced the truth of the promise of dying strength for a dy- 
ing hour. For though unable to speak, yet she discovered her 
inward joy by such animation of countenance as delighted her 
surrounding friends. And when her mother and sister spoke 
to her of her approaching happiness, her eyes seemed to glisten 
with new fire. ' What a joyful Sabbath you will have to-day,' 
said her sister. Her looks seemed to reply, ' A joyful Sab- 
bath indeed ; an eternal Sabbath !' In a few minutes after- 
wards, she waved her hand in token of her abundant entrance 



48 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

into the joy of her Lord. And like your dear E. C. she met 
death with a smile, which kept possession of her features, un- 
til she was consigned to the grave. 

44 1 would not have dwelt so long on this suhject, were it 
not thai my esteem for the deeeased was great. 

44 Perhaps you would call it affectation, if I did not tell you 
that the college have adjudged to me the first prize for the best 
Latin declamation on 4 the stage.' 

44 I believe I must pass this summer out of Cambridge. I 
think of going to London about the beginning of July, that I 
may have a few lessons in English pronunciation, in com- 
pliance with Mr. Thornton's desire. 

44 1 have been assaulted of late from various quarters, both 
from without and from within ; but I bless God, that while I 
pray over the Bible, I am enabled to triumph over my ene- 
mies. I delight in the Bible. When my heart is melted within 
me, and my soul sick with the combat between the contempt 
of the ungodly, and the remains of my own pride, then the 
Bible affords a comfort no other book can give." 

In a similar strain as to his increasing love of the holy scrip- 
tures, and in peculiarly strong and lively terms as to the gene- 
ral state of his mind concerning religion, he thus writes to the 
same correspondent in the month of June following. 

44 1 see you still have a godly jealousy over me, respecting 
the bent of my studies. I must make you easy on that head. 
I can now inform you, that the attention I pay to the classics 
or mathematics is comparatively very little ; so little, that I 
sometimes fear that (in my present place) I neglect them too 
much. And I can further inform you, and I thank God for 
enabling me, that the cause of my being thus lukewarm in 
these studies, is, that I may redeem time for studying the scrip- 
tures, the value of which knowledge I see more and more. At 
present I can read the Bible when I can read nothing else. 
Some of my other studies are truly a cross to me." 

What an unquestionable proof of a spiritual mind in an 
academical student, is such a declaration as this ! He thus 
continues. 

44 1 dare not tell you what I am, but I can tell you what I 
pray for. 

44 I pray that I may be content to be of no reputation among 
men, knowing that if I am truly wise, I must become a fool 
among the ungodly ; that I may patiently submit to indignity 
and reproach for Christ's sake, and that my whole life may be 
devoted to his service ; that for this purpose I may diligently 
improve the talent committed to me, however little it may be ; 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 49 

and that when I go forth into the ministry, I may not seek self, 
but Christ; content to be unnoticed, dead to the censure or ap- 
plause of men, alive to God and his concerns, and chiefly soli- 
citous that my preaching (however rude I may be in speech) 
may be powerful in awakening souls. 

44 These are my prayers in 1793, as to the event of my 
studies. I trust the Lord, that he will keep me ; that he will 
put his fear in my heart, that I may not depart from him* 

" You talk to me of academical reputation and dignity. If 
I were Regius Professor of Divinity to-morrow, I would resign 
the dignity to any man for a little brokenness of heart. The 
summit of my ambition (if I know my own mind) is, to be 
daily more conformed to Christ, to be enabled to follow that 
great sufferer, and to rejoice to be counted worthy to suffer 
shame for his sake. 

" As to my future situation in the ministry, to which you 
allude at the close of your letter, that subject is very little in 
my thoughts. God has done the greater ; shall he not do the 
less ? If he means me to preach his gospel, then is the pulpit 
prepared, and the flock which I must tend. At present I feel 
ready to go wherever he pleases to send me ; whether to India, 
America, New Holland, or if there be any other land more re- 
mote. I have already seen life in various shapes ; and if I 
have been enabled to bear with difficulties when without God 
in the world, much more, when engaged in his service, aided 
by his Spirit and supported by his presence. 

44 If the Lord will I should be well pleased to enter his ser- 
vice under your advice and example. I hope that the first year 
I stay with you, I shall learn humility ^ the second, humility ; 
the third, humility. 

44 Mr. S. and Mrs. M. beg their love to you; and so does 
he, who i&, w r ith great respect and affection, your's." 

The note inscribed by Mr. Newton on the preceding letter 
strongly attests the pleasure with which he had perused it; 
nor can it be generally read without a lively impression of the 
glowing and devoted piety of its author. Two months after- 
wards w r e find him in London, replying to a letter from Mr. 
Newton; then in the country, in which his aged friend, under 
the painful remembrance of the transitory nature of earthly 
enjoyments, though by no means in the spirit of disappoint- 
ment and complaint, had declared that of a happiness which 
had subsisted forty years, nothing then remained but the re- 
collection ; that the years he had passed, blessed as they had 
been by the sunshine of providence and grace, might be num- 
bered with the years before the flood. To this somewhat 



50 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

melancholy but admonitory observation Mr. Buchanan replied, 
that the estimate of human life which he had thus given was, 
he presumed, just, as it accorded with the language of scrip- 
ture. 

"Is it possible, then," he says, "that I can be so foolish, 
as to fix my heart on any thing under the sun, if I believe the 
testimony of all ages, that to do so is vanity and vexation of 
spirit? I do believe this testimony, and I would gladly re- 
frain from every created idol, come it in what shape it 
may; but unhappily I feel myself invested with flesh and 
blood. Now I understand from scripture, that I am permitted, 
nay, commanded, to nourish this body, to clothe and adorn it, 
and be careful of its well being; only I must study to keep it 
in subjection. But this is a charge more difficult than the go- 
vernment of a kingdom. I am to taste, the Bible says, of the 
sweets of earthly happiness, but I am only to taste of them. 
But who is to ascertain the quantum ? Spiritual self and car- 
Hal self are always at variance about it, and I suppose this 
contest is the christian's warfare. A good soldier, therefore* 
would naturally endeavour either to strengthen himself or 
weaken his adversary. Am I then to strengthen the spiritual, 
or to weaken the carnal principle ? I may do both, you will 
say ; but which of the two demands my more particular atten- 
tion ? As I may go to an extreme in weakening the body, but 
cannot go too far in strengthening the soul, it would seem wise 
to lay the greater stress on the latter. Communion with God in 
private prayer is, I conceive, the best strengthener of the soul ; 
and communion with the world is its greatest weakener. The 
result then appears to be this. To dedicate as much time as 
possible to acts of communion with God. But Archbishop 
Leighton says, that the desire of this sacred communion grows 
with its exercise. Every encouragement, therefore, is held 
out to this mode of attack and defence, since pleasure and pro- 
fit conspire to recommend it. Prayer, then, I must consider 
as the christian's palladium, and as a present reward. 

" Surely an hour in the morning, and an hour in the even- 
ing, is not too much for communion with God. But as to the 
season of prayer, I do not think that some manage this well. 
They pray early in the morning, and late at night. This may 
be necessary in families engaged in business ; but I speak of 
ministers. Do you not think that an hour of devotion be- 
fore we engage in company in the afternoon, would have a 
tendency to correct and animate our evening's conversation? 

44 Pardon this dissertation on prayer. I really had no design 
to trouble you with it when I began the letter." 



WKMOIHS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 51 

To reflections such as the preceding, as solid and judicious 
as they are spiritual and instructive, no serious reader will ob- 
ject. Nor will the following account of the death of one of 
Mr. Buchanan's sisters, which occurs in a letter to Mr. New- 
ton from Cambridge, at the close of his second long vacation, 
be deemed uninteresting. 

" It was about a year and a half ago," he observes, " on 
her return from boarding-school, that her piety first appeared, 
though on her death-bed she confessed that her heart had been 
inclining to God nearly two years before that time. About 
three months since she was seized by a consumption, which has 
now given her a happy release from all sin and all sorrow." „ 

A letter still remains, written by Mr. Buchanan from Cam- 
bridge, to his dying sister, for the purpose of cheering and 
supporting her under her early departure from the world, the 
piety and fraternal affection of which will sufficiently recom- 
mend the following extracts. 

44 I rejoice to hear that you are about to enter into the joy of 
your Lord, to behold the Saviour whom you love, face to face; 
to be clothed by him in a spotless robe, and presented to the 
Father as an heir of everlasting glory. 

44 Let me encourage you to pass over Jordan's flood with a 
resolute step, undismayed ; let me remind you of the promise 
of Him, to whom the death of his saints is precious. Let me 
enforce the immutable love of your God, and proclaim to you 
the truth of your Redeemer. You have already known him 
as the way ; on your death-bed you will find him the truth; 
and he will quickly welcome you to the gate of Zion as the 
eternal life. 

44 My dear sister, be of good cheer : lay hold of Jesus as 
the anchor of your soul. Was it ever heard that any one who 
fled to him for refuge was deserted in a trying hour ? Was 
it ever known that he suffered one of his sheep to be plucked 
out of his hand ? Has he not said, 4 1 will never leave thee, 
nor forsake thee V 4 When thou passeth through the waters, 
I will be with thee ;' 4 Fear not, thou art mine.' These are 
exceeding great and precious promises, on which you may 
safely rest. If your faith be weak, yet waver not. The pro* 
mise is to the weak as well as to the strong ; yea, to all those 
who can say, 4 Thou knowest, Lord, that I love thee.' 

44 While you have life, magnify the praises of Him who 
hath called you with such a holy calling. Evince to the world 
that the Bible is not a cunningly-devised fable. Seek to glorify 
God in your death, and assuredly he will give you faith to do 
it. Speak from your dying bed of the things of the kingdom 



52 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

to which you are hastening; impart your views of the vani- 
ties of life, for the benefit of those who survive you. Pray 
that a double poriion of your spirit may rest upon your bro- 
ther, that he may gladden your eyes at the last day with a 
view of many souls whom he has brought with him to glory. 
Leave him such exhortations, encouragements, and reproofs, 
as an immediate prospect of heaven may inspire you to give. 

44 And now let me conduct you as far as I can, even to the 
gates of Jerusalem. Many a song will be sung, many a harp 
be strung, on your entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Who 
is this that I see foremost to welcome you ? Is it not your grand- 
father or your father? My dear sister, what joy is this ! They, 
accompanied by a heavenly host, conduct you to your Saviour, 
your King, and your God. Then your glory begins ; you are 
crowned with honour and immortality. You join in the ne- 
ver-ending song of 4 Worthy the Lamb,' and drink of the plea- 
sures which are at God's right hand for evermore." 

The preceding pious and animated address did not arrive 
until the relative, for whose consolation it was intended, was 
beyond the reach of human joy or sorrow. 

The account, however, which Mr. Buchanan, in the words 
of another sister, gives to Mr. Newton of the last trying scene, 
is peaceful and encouraging. 

44 She now," he says, 44 in faith looked forward to her rest, and 
spent much of her time in reading the scriptures, and in prayer. 

44 On the evening of the day she died, she said to her mo- 
ther, 4 1 think that my hour is now come.' Her mother was 
surprised at this, as there appeared no visible change in her 
countenance. She immediately began to pray, and prayed 
long. Her mother overheard some of her words. She prayed 
4 that she might be found in Christ ; that she might have a title 
to that covenant which is well-ordered and sure.' About the 
conclusion of her prayer, death appeared to be fast approaching. 
She begged that the family might come round her bed ; and 
then she began to exhort them, and to speak to them of the 
kingdom of God. Her mother, observing that her last mo- 
ment was now at hand, asked her if she had any thing to say 
to her brother at Cambridge. 4 Yes,' said she ; 4 tell him, be 
sure you tell him,' (repeating it emphatically,) 4 that I die 
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.' She then lifted up both 
her hands, and looking up to heaven, committed herself to the 
Lord, her eyes streaming with joy ; which having done, she 
sunk on the pillow and expired." 

44 The manner of her death," continues Mr. Buchanan* 
** has given my mother a comfort inexpressible* 






MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 53 

" I know nothing which has had a greater tendency to ani- 
mate me in my christian course, than this triumph of my sister. 

were the work done which my Father hath given me to do, 
how gladly should I accompany her ! 

" I hope you are at present a large partaker of the consola- 
tions of the Spirit. Though I am young, I know thus much, 
that without those consolations, there is no happiness. What 
a blessing, that the pleasures of holiness begin on this side the 
grave !" 

On the fifth of November Mr. Buchanan again delivered a 
public Latin speech on the Revolution in 1688; and on the 
15th a declamation in favour of modern learning. His relaxa- 
tion in mathematical studies exposed him, he informs Mr. 
Newton, to frequent remonstrances from different friends ; and 
amongst others, from the late excellent Mr. Robinson of Lei- 
cester, who was anxious that he should view academical ho- 
nours with less indifference. " They are little aware," he 
adds, " that I need no spur on this head, were I conscious that 
my abilities warranted me success. In arguments of this kind 

1 usually urge the plea of duty ; though I must confess, that 
the other weighs more strongly with myself, which it ought 
not to do." 

Mr. Buchanan, as it will presently appear, probably, and 
perhaps happily, underrated his talents in this particular. 
However this may be, he was unmoved by the representations 
of his friends, and persevered in the course of study, which, 
as we have seen, he had deliberately adopted. 

Early in the year 1794, a letter occurs to his venerable 
friend, Mr. Newton, which affords a specimen of that union 
of playful remark with christian seriousness, by which his cor- 
respondence was occasionally enlivened. 

" Mr. F. writes to me, that your recommendations have been 
of great service to him at Edinburgh. I am happy to find that 
his zeal increases. More of my friends err through too much 
prudence than too much zeal. I think I have observed that a 
man who is well acquainted with the world, cannot have too 
much zeal. If he is ignorant of men and manners, his zeal will 
injure his cause ; and it is not till after repeated lessons that he 
is put right. 

" Your aged domestics will wonder why I stay so long at 
Cambridge, when I have so much work to do in the ministry. 
I wish they could impart to me somewhat of their expe- 
rience, self-knowledge, and humility ; and in exchange I pro- 
mis© to give them on my return from college, all my mathe- 
matics, pure and mixed, geometry, algebra, fluxions contain- 

e2 



54 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ing the nature of pneumatics, hydraulics, hydrostatics, the 
doctrine of incommensurables, indivisibles, and infinities, pa- 
rabolic and hyperbolic logarithms, summation of series r 
solution of quadratics containing impossible roots, together 
with the properties of parallelepipeds and dodecahedrons, not 
forgetting Sir Isaac Newton, his celebrated corollaries to the 
paradoxical lemma respecting curvilinear straight lines ! to- 
gether with other particulars, too many to be here enume- 
rated. 

" What a mercy, you will say, that Phoebe* has not to learn 
all this in order to get to heaven L 

" I thank you for your dissertation on Cambridge learning. 
I hope I have passed the ordeal now, and that I shall be led 
to the study of those things by which I may be best able to 
promote the glory of God. I sigh for the sublime grace of 
self-denial. It is the preservative of the youthful christian 
from snares innumerable. " 

Not long after the date of the preceding letter, Mr. Newton 
made the first direct proposal to Mr. Buchanan of a voyage to 
India. His reply was as follows : 

" I request you to accept my thanks for the affectionate let- 
ter which I have just now read. I have only time to say, that 
with respect to my going to India, I must decline giving any 
opinion. It would argue a mind ill-instructed in the school of 
Christ,, to pretend to decide on an event so important and un- 
expected ; an event, which will doubtless give a complexion 
to the happiness and usefulness of every hour of my future 
life. 

" It is with great pleasure I submit this matter to the de- 
termination of yourself, Mr.. Thornton, and Mr. Grant. All 
I wish to ascertain is the will of God. 1 hope that the result 
of your deliberations will prove to be his will. Were I re- 
quired to say something, I should observe that I feel myself 
very ill qualified for the arduous situation in question. My in- 
timate friends know that my plan of college study was, to at- 
tend more immediately to academical learning the two first 
years, and to preparation for the ministry in the third and last* 
upon which I am but now entering. I think that our regard 
for the glory of God requires us to endeavour to find a person 
of acknowledged ability in things both human and divine, who 
has already approved himself such an one as might success- 
fully resist gainsayers, and prosecute his mission with energy. 
A beginner, particularly if he be of slender capacity and at- 

'. « I ■ .... i, I r - 

* Alluding to an old and highly-valued domestic of Mr. Newton. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BtJCHANAN. 55 

tainments, will naturally shrink from such a situation, fearing 
lest he should tarnish the honour of his embassy by an un- 
skilful or ungraceful negotiation. 

44 On the contrary, if the Lord does with me as with Jere- 
miah, and bids a child go and teach a great nation, it would be 
vain to plead my incapacity, since, if he sends me, he will 
certainly 'touch my mouth.' Only I would observe, that in 
the present state of Christianity, it would appear that as strict 
attention ought to be paid to human means in our endeavours 
to promote the success of the gospel, as if it were merely a 
human dispensation. 

"I trust that every word of the above is dictated by a re-? 
gard to God's honour, and not my own. 

44 That his honour may be greatly promoted by the result of 
your deliberations is the prayer of C. B." 

The judgment as well as the piety of Mr. Buchanan's re- 
ply to this proposal deserves to be noticed, and affords a satis- 
factory indication of his qualifications for the important station 
to which it refers. The following sentiments expressed in a 
subsequent letter are equally pleasing. 

u With respect to my going to India, I am still in a strait 
between two. Some considerations incline me to stay ; others 
persuade me to go, as being far better. Being unable to judge 
for myself, I submit it to the divine direction with perfect re- 
signation. So gracious is He who 4 careth for me' in this re- 
spect, that your determination, whether for or against my 
going, will be alike agreeable to me. I am equally ready to 
preach the gospel in the next village, or at the ends of the 
earth." 

Such was the elevated spirit of piety which actuated Mr. 
Buchanan early in this year. As it advanced, he wrote thus, 
to Mr. Newton. 

44 We have had Mrs. U. and Mr. C.'s family at Cambridge 
for a few days. It gives me great pleasure to see piety glad- 
den with its presence our learned walls. Pride and supersti- 
tion have doubtless built most of our colleges ; but I am in- 
clined to think, that genuine piety founded some of them. A 
solitary walk in such places, has a tendency to excite elevated 
thoughts of God, and of his goodness to man, through suc- 
cessive ages. 

"My purpose in troubling you with this letter was to say, 
that I bear that affection for you a child beareth to his father, 
a desire to conceal his faults, (if he has any,) and to magnify 
his virtues ; that I hope to be preserved from the snares and 



56 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

cares of this world, and thereby enabled to adorn that gospel 
which you first wished me to profess." 

In Mr. Buchanan's next letter to Mr. Newton, dated early 
in June, it w r ill be observed that the ardour which he had for- 
merly evinced to enter into the ministry, without much acade- 
mical preparation, had yielded to those more correct and en- 
larged views concerning religion which he had been gradually 
acquiring ; and which had at once rendered him more diffi- 
dent, and better qualified for the office to which he aspired. 

44 1 sit down," he says, 4k to acquaint you, that I have just 
finished another term, and with it I complete another year at 
the University. I hope that God will graciously overrule the 
evil he has seen in me ; and that he will cause my past expe- 
rience and my past studies, to bear fruit to his glory and my 
own good. 

44 1 once thought myself prepared for the church ! I shud- 
der at my temerity. A zeal (if zeal it may be called) ■ with- 
out knowledge' must have dictated this unhallowed confidence. 
In one sense, indeed, any one to whom God has given his 
grace may enter the church, however ignorant or unfit in other 
matters; inasmuch as all success in it comes from God. But 
in another sense, no man ought to enter upon the ministry, 
who is not qualified by nature and education to do justice to si 
public station, and claim respect from a gainsaying world. 
This is absolutely necessary, unless miracles have not ceased. 
And for want of attending to these circumstances, viz. the pre- 
sent state of Christianity, and the progress of civilization, I 
see that the gospel sutlers in every quarter. At the time of 
the Reformation, there was not so much ground for this com- 
plaint as now. I differ in opinion from many good men 
on these points. However, 1 seldom mention them, as I have 
learnt from past fluctuations of sentiment, that I may possibly 
think differently after further observation and more accurate 
scripture study. I think that too little attention is paid to the 
manner of preaching the gospel ; and too little to the preju- 
dices of the age against the illiterate methodist. I feel a good 
deal hurt at these neglects, at the same time that I despair of 
doing otherwise myself. In these, and in all other doubts, I 
must wait patiently on his teaching, who hath so often made 
• darkness light before me.' " 

After informing his correspondent that he had a few days 
since spoken his last Latin declamation, Mr. Buchanan thus 
beautifully concludes this letter. 

44 That you are blessed with health, and stayed by the com- 
forts of the gospel in your declining years, is to me a frequent 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 57 

theme of praise. In philosophy and human science, the mind 
loses its vigour by old age ; but in religion, in divine science, 
we are taught to believe that youth will be restored, and new 
attainments acquired. Fortunatus Me senex, qui ccelicola 
vivit" 

It is probable that Mr. Buchanan passed the greater part of 
the long vacation of this year also at Cambridge. No letter, 
indeed, occurs in his correspondence with Mr. Newton from 
the commencement to the close of that period ; but the fol- 
lowing interesting communication from one of his most valued 
friends and relatives seems to confirm this conjecture. 

44 I first became acquainted with him," observes this gen- 
tleman, " at Cambridge, in the summer of the year 1794. 
We were almost the only two residents in our respective col- 
leges of Queen's and St. John's ; he being engaged in study- 
ing for orders, and I in preparing for my bachelor's degree. I 
had often heard of him from a common friend, as being a very 
distinguished member of a debating society, called the Specu- 
lative, or quaintly the Spec, consisting of a number of under- 
graduates from different colleges, especially Trinity and 
Queen's, who used to meet at each other's rooms to discuss 
various moral, political, and sometimes religious questions. 
He was represented to me as eminent among the speakers for 
acuteness and fluency,* and for piety of sentiment ; but as a 
retired character, who scarcely ever mixed with any other 
persons at such social meetings as w r ere usual in the college, 

" We met accidentally in our solitary walks, and entered 
into conversation ; which brought on an interchange of visits. 
We often walked together during the short time after our first 
meeting that he continued at Cambridge. I well remember to 
this moment a particular conversation which took place in one 
of our walks on a fine summer's evening, and can trace in my 
recollection some of the fields through which we rambled, 
little thinking that we should ever be so closely united in the 
bonds of domestic affection, or that if I survived him, I 
should have to drop the tear of hallowed regret over the grave 
of a brother. 

" He greatly surprised me on that occasion by strongly con- 
demning the vanity of the pursuits of ambition, in which I 
was then hotly engaged, coveting too earnestly University ho- 
nours. I defended my side, in which self was so deeply con- 

* This observation is a proof either of the modest estimate which Mr. Bu- 
chanan formed of his own powers of speaking, in writing to Mr. Newton 
upon this subject, or of the proficiency which he had made since that period, 
partly, perhaps, in consequence of the exercise afforded him by this society, 



58 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

cemed, with much warmth and positiveness ; but when I wag 
left alone, I could not altogether shake off the impression 
which his serious, solemn, and scriptural mode of argumenta- 
tion had left upon my mind." 

The same learned and excellent person adds, with reference 
to this period of Mr. Buchanan's life ; " I remember, in a let- 
ter to a common friend, some remarks on the necessity and 
efficacy of faith in the blood of Christ; and of his hopes that 
lie had experienced something of it, which were in a great 
measure new to us both, and affected me considerably." 

It is pleasing to reflect, that the writer of the preceding pas- 
sages, after having succeeded in the attainment of the highest 
of those academical honours* of which he was then so ardently 
in pursuit, should at no distant period have been led to adopt 
the religious views which he once combated ; and after the 
lapse of many years, have been permitted again to hold "sw r eet 
converse" with him to whom he first become known under 
such interesting circumstances, and to contribute to do honour 
to his memory, as a friend and brother. 

We are now approaching the termination of Mr. Buchanan's 
academical course. On the 30th of November in this year, he 
wrote to Mr. Newton as follows. 

" I have just finished my mathematical career. Previous to 
taking our degrees, an examination is held in our respective 
colleges for the purpose of ascertaining our success in science, 
and a prize of live guineas awarded to the best proficient. This 
prize has been adjudged to me. 

44 1 take no public honour in mathematics. As my admis- 
sion to college was irregular, I must go out at a bye-term ; that 
is, at Midsummer next. Were I to stay till the regular time 
of conferring honours and degrees, it must be till Christmas 
twelvemonth. My tutors are very urgent with me to remain 
till that time, in order that I may acquire some mathematical 
reputation to myself, and some honour to the college ; but I 
have declined it, as being an unjustifiable sacrifice of my time 
and duty. My friends are a good deal surprised at this ; and 
are astonished when I tell them, that though I studied science 
with attention, I never had a public honour in view. The 
college examination I had determined should be my ne plus 
ultra:' 

The preceding information appears to have surprised Mr. 
Newton himself; who in common with his other friends 
seems, notwithstanding his discouragement of Mr. Buchanan's 

* fie was the Senior Wrangler of his year. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 53 

mathematical studies, to have expected that he would obtain 
some University distinction. Some were even disposed to 
think that he might have aimed at the highest. This was 
evidently unreasonable ; and Mr. Buchanan accordingly thus 
replies to such a suggestion. 

" You seem to think that my abdication of mathematics is 
in consequence of a late resolution ; but it is not. It is agree- 
able to my original plan. Those who think that I might have 
been Senior Wrangler, are not well-informed. There are few 
instances, I believe, of any persons arriving at this eminence, 
who had not studied mathematics before they went to Cam- 
bridge/' 

Considering the circumstances which have been before re- 
lated, it will perhaps be deemed sufficiently creditable to Mr. 
Buchanan, that the college prize for mathematical proficiency 
should have been adjudged to him. Some manuscripts made 
by him at Cambridge, on the four branches of natural philoso- 
phy, and on some parts of Newton's Principia, still remain. 
They indicate, in the opinion of the learned friend to whom 
an allusion has been lately made, a competent knowledge of 
his subjects, though they are not the work of one who would 
be called a high man, at Cambridge. He adds, however, that 
had Mr. Buchanan been a candidate for a public honour, he 
would doubtless have distinguished himself. 

How entirely he was satisfied as to his determination upon 
this point, may be inferred from the total absence of any senti- 
ment of regret respecting it in his correspondence at this 
period. He was evidently intent upon an object which he 
deemed of far higher importance, as the following conclusion 
of the letter in which he announced the close of his mathema- 
tical career, sufficiently testifies. 

"It is said that those who travel heavenwards acquire new 
strength from the toil of the way ; Iter instaurabit vires. 1 
wish I found it so. I clamber up hill with difficulty. It may 
be, I have not laid aside every weight ; or, perhaps, I have 
not used the proper 4 lamp to my path.' If so, it is a great hap- 
piness that the weariness of the way reproves me. 

" To I wish to be remembered, as to fellow-pilgrims ; 

who in their journey to the holy land, have learned to sympa- 
thise with those whose knees are feeble, and who travel slowly. 
Perhaps to some of them, or to you, s the delectable moun- 
tains' are already in view ; if so, i the shining ones' are at 
hand, to conduct you to the holy city ; where, I hope, ere long, 
you will meet 

Your very affectionate son, C. B." 



60 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Mr. Buchanan was so entirely occupied with the pursuits of 
learning and religion, that the politics of the day, though of a 
peculiarly alarming and interesting nature, seldom found a 
place in his correspondence. On one or two occasions, how- 
ever, he shows that he was by no means indifferent upon the 
subject, and expresses that mixture of truth and error which 
might be expected from a pious and acute, but young and ardent 
mind, speculating upon points which baffled the penetration of 
the most able and experienced observers. Amidst a variety of 
other remarks, the following, however, from its singular cor- 
respondence with subsequent events, seems deserving of in- 
sertion. 

" Perhaps," says Mr. Buchanan, "the opinion of Sir Isaac 
Newton is correct, that antichristian superstition is only to be 
eradicated by the strong hand of infidelity. It may be agree- 
able to Providence, to permit infidel armies to ravage the 
world, to destroy superstition, and then to strew with Bible* 
the vacant lands." 

The history of the last twenty years has tended in a most 
striking manner to verify this conjecture. We have seen anti- 
christian superstition checked and depressed, though not eradi- 
cated, by the strong arm of infidelity ; while we behold many 
of the desolated lands upon the continent literally 4 strewed 
with Bibles,' by the pious charity of our own highly-favoured 
country ; which, after raising an effectual barrier against the 
tyranny by which every other European nation was oppressed, 
has survived to be the instrument of continued, and, it may be 
hoped, of still greater blessings to the world. 

Upon the general subject of politics, as well as upon that of 
patriotism, of which, as he thought, Mr. Buchanan had taken 
an erroneous view, Mr. Newton remonstrated with his less ex- 
perienced correspondent. To the latter of these points he 
recurs in the following terms in his next letter. 

44 1 scarcely recollect what I said in my last on the subject 
of the amor patriae ; but I am ready to unsay it, if I cannot 
otherwise subscribe to the general tenor of your answer. It is 
natural to expect some little difference in deciding on a specu- 
lative point, particularly if the parties judge for themselves, and 
if they be of different ages. The old man may have a stock of 
premises far superior to the young man's; and therefore their 
conclusions will differ, though each may argue correctly from 
his own data. 

44 There are some subjects of secondary importance, on 
which I do not expect to have a determined opinion, till forced 
perhaps by the impatience of hoary hairs ; for though I hope, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 61 

yet I do not expect, to show so little of dogmatic and narrative 
old age as you do ; and for this reason, that nature has made 
some difference in the constitution of our minds, (which is as 
lasting as the different conformation of our bodies,) namely, to 
you she has given a placid, to me a sanguine, temper." 

In the passage which follows, some acute observations occur 
on the nature of superstition and prejudice, which are not un- 
worthy of being preserved. 

" I have learned one lesson, I think, since I came to the 
University, viz. my own ignorance. On some disputable points, 
such as, the best method of preaching, the use of the world as 
not abusing it, the connexion of things civil and religious, forms 
of government, and the distinctions between the Jewish and 
Christian dispensations— on such points, I say, my opinions 
seem to derive a new complexion from every new year. In 
one view this is proper ; for not to change in sentiment on such 
things, would argue a man to be stationary or retrograde in im- 
provement, or at best to be the superstitious disciple of some 
pope or infallible pedagogue. In some measure I envy such 
persons : certainty is doubtless a happiness ; and therefore the 
superstitious are generally so far happy. Many good chris- 
tians are superstitious. Indeed, he must be a man of singular 
learning and piety, who is not superstitious in some degree. 
For instance, most men have a superstitious regard for their 
peculiar form of worship. An Englishman regards his Liturgy 
as superstitiously as a Roman Catholic his mass-book. Those 
who have less ceremony than the English church, have a super- 
stitious reverence for what they have left : and I can easily 
conceive a man to have a superstitious regard for the want of 
ceremony. 

" Nothing but a cultivated mind, and the constant perusal of 
the New Testament, seem capable of delivering men from un- 
necessary prejudices and prepossessions. Grace does not ne- 
cessarily do it. Some wonder at this ; but why should they ? 
Grace converts the heart, but it does not teach the understand- 
ing what the understanding may learn without it ; and there- 
fore it does not remove prejudice. For prejudice is founded 
on ignorance ; on an ignorance of facts. Till these facts then 
are communicated, prejudice remains ; knowledge, therefore, 
i. e. learning, philosophy, or by what name soever it may be 
called, is necessary to remove prejudice." 

It is obvious that the foregoing remarks, though substantially 
correct, require considerable judgment to apply them with 
safety to any important subject. Their influence on some 
opinions expressed by Mr. Buchanan in the subsequent part of 



62 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

this letter, on the politics of the day, forms no uninstructive 
comment upon the difficulty which attends such discussions. 
These opinions it is unnecessary now to produce. It is but 
just, however, to add the following modest and sensible acknow- 
ledgment of the hesitation with which he had adopted them. 

11 Since you wished me to write what 1 thoitght on these 
subjects, I have done so. I shall thank you now to burn these 
sheets, as they contain the effusion of an unripe judgment. 
Whether I shall ever attain to a correct estimate of the points I 
have handled, I know not; but if ever I do, it can only be by 
the concurrence of these three causes ; the influence o( the 
Holy Spirit, to preserve my affections pure before God; the 
knowledge of new facts ; and the power of reasoning accurately. 
No two of them seem sufficient for judging in matters irrelevant 
to our salvation. 

" 1 have not seen the mission of the Moravian Brethren. 1 
am inclined to think these excel others, because evangelizing 
barbarians is their trade. Their children are inspired with 
dignified ideas of it at an early age, which co-operating with 
ordinary grace, produces these m irabilia." 

There is no doubt much truth in this last remark. It must, 
however, at the same time, be acknowledged, that the verv 
circumstance of inculcating an early reverence for the office of 
a missionary, is in itself a proof of the prevalence of that spi- 
rit of simple and devoted piety which is the earnest and pledge 
of the success with which the efforts of the United Brethren, 
in promoting Christianity among the heathen, have been 
crowned. 

In the month of May following the date of the preceding 
letter, Mr. Buchanan informed Mr. Newton, who was now 
anxiously looking forward to his ordination, that he was to 
take his degree at the ensuing commencement, that is, on the 
8th of July ; that his ordination studies would engage his at- 
tention for the next two months ; and that early in September 
he purposed being in London. His venerable friend having 
complained of his increasing deafness, Mr. Buchanan, with his 
usual affectionate piety, endeavours to console him under this 
infirmity. 

" Your deafness," he observes, " is no doubt an evil; but 
you have been afflicted with it for good. Your reflections 
upon it show this. Some are alarmed at the decays of age in 
their christian friends. Why should they? W r hen I see the 
nged christian losing one faculty and then another, I only see 
him passing through various 'changes of untried being/ till at 
last he throws off this ■ mortal coil' itself. Deafness, or blind- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 63 

ness, or mental weakness, are but precursors of immortality ; 
they announce that heaven is at hand. 

14 Nor are they without present use. The grateful and rea- 
sonable reflections your short indisposition produced, are per- 
haps of more value to your soul, considering it as struggling 
for heavenly purity, than new accessions of mental power, or 
new refinements in every sense. 

" Were it agreeable to the will of God, the youthful chris- 
tian might find it a happy experience to suffer the temporary 
loss of every faculty he possesses. Nothing but experience, 
it seems, can teach us the value of these common blessings ; 
and until we learn the value of them, we cannot be grateful 
But the Lord sends us our sufferings in the fulness of time." 
To us it is given to be made conformable to Christ. This 
great sufferer has sent us his Comforter, to wait on infirmity 
and declining age. What more noble object does the all-see- 
ing sun behold, than the 'patient sufferer?' It is awful to 
little minds, and makes them tremble at the thought of that 
purity of soul which heaven demands. 

"If you wish for an epitaph couched in a single word, I 
hope it will not be Fui. Your friends, indeed, might expound 
it in the manner you mention, but the stranger would do it dif- 
ferently. When I say Fui, I mean to say my glory is past. 
Ilium fuit 9 'Troy is fallen.' Rather write, Futurus sum, 
4 My glory is to come,' King Arthur's epitaph boasts both of 
glory past and glory to come : 

* Hie jacet Arthurus 

Rex quondam et Rex futurus.' 

But I am persuaded you will only think of the glory to come, 
and let kings talk of their glory past." 

Mr. Buchanan was now within a few months of his ordina- 
tion ; and to that important termination of his academical 
course he from this time more particularly directed his atten- 
tion. Of his chastened ardour in the pursuit of mathematical 
science, and of his successful cultivation of classical literature, 
some account has been already given. A series of common- 
place books from the year 1793, afford also abundant and satis- 
factory proof of his diligence in the acquisition of general 
knowledge. Some years after he had left Cambridge, having 
occasion to refer to his employments there, Mr. Buchanan ob- 
served to a friend, that during his residence at the University 
" he had tasted of almost every science, and had endeavoured 
to bend all his acquirements to worthy ends." The memorials 
of his studies, which have been just alluded to, bear ample 



64 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

testimony to the truth of this statement. His commonplace 
books contain abridgments of lectures on anatomy, harmo- 
nics, manufactures, and experimental philosophy ; abstracts of 
Locke, of Grotius, and Paley on the Evidences of Christianity, 
of part of Smith's Wealth of Nations, of Aristotle's Rhetoric, 
and of some historical works. References occur to Bacon, 
Cudworth, Stillingfleet, Chillingworth, and other great au- 
thors. Extracts from various writers, both ancient and modern, 
chiefly with reference to moral and theological subjects. Notes 
of sermons preached before the University. Important histo- 
rical facts, with occasional reflections upon them ; the meaning 
of remarkable words, phrases, and customs; observations, 
either altogether original, or digested from different authors, 
and expressed in his own words — on infidelity ; on natural and 
revealed religion ; on style and eloquence ; on memory and 
imagination; on real and alleged enthusiasm, and on the use 
of reason in religion ; on various branches of political economy ; 
on the French revolution, and on war. One of the most use- 
ful and interesting portions, however, of these adversaria, 
comprises a series of remarks on different parts of scripture : 
on the best method of reading the Bible ; on the spirit and de- 
sign of the sacred writings, particularly with respect to their 
hortatory and practical style ; on preaching, and in general on 
the ministerial office ; on prayer ; on personal piety; and on the 
christian warfare. 

These multifarious observations afford evident marks of ex- 
tensive reading, of a correct taste, and a sound judgment. 
They exhibit much acuteness and refinement, much enlarge- 
ment and originality of thought,* much acquaintance with him- 
self and with the human character; "a mind of large dis- 
course," anxious to derive information from every quarter, 
ever on the wing to extract sweetness from every flower, and 
solicitous to employ the whole to some valuable purpose. 
What that purpose was, we may learn from his own words in 
one of the memoranda in question. 

" Is not," he asks, " the grand, the only object of my life, 
to preach Christ to men ? Let me, therefore, convert every 
species of mental food into spiritual nourishment ; whether it 
be Homer or Milton, Gibbon or Hume, that I read ; whether 



* Amongst a great variety of other subjects, one of Mr. Buchanan's common- 
place books contains some remarks which are strongly characteristic of a vein 
of humour and archness, joined with penetration in studying human nature, 
lor which he was remarkable. An equally striking indication of his wakeful 
attention to practical utility, may be perceived in the insertion in another book 
of a list of anthems calculated to excite devotional affections* 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 65 

it be with intelligent or unlearned men that I converse ; or 
whether it be sitting or walking that I meditate." 

Again observes Mr. Buchanan, * If the cross be continually 
in view, there is, perhaps, no line we read, no object we see, 
no fact we hear, but may be improved, by applying it to Christ, 
to ourselves, or to those around us. Such exercise as this 
would give a holy fertility to the imagination. " 

It would not be difficult to select from the copious collections 
in question, a variety of useful and interesting observations 
upon the important subjects which they embrace, as well as 
many striking illustrations of the sentiments expressed in the* 
preceding quotations. For the sake, however, of brevity, two 
or three passages only shall be extracted, as a specimen of 
many others which might be adduced. 

The first is from some remarks on Paley's definition, in his 
View of the Evidences of the design of Christianity as a divine 
revelation ; that is, as he represents it, to acquaint mankind 
with the doctrine of a future state. To which Mr. Buchanan 
replies, ",No. Because, although men had been acquainted 
with this by an extraordinary messenger, they could not obtain 
heaven in the way proposed, namely, by observing the pre- 
cepts of Christianity. No one can keep them. It would have 
been an unhappy, an unwelcome revelation indeed— 4 There is 
a future state. Do this, and live to enjoy it.' Is this Christianity? 

44 The christian might then say, 4 1 wish we had not heard of 
this. I wish we could have been left to solace ourselves with 
the thought of future Elysian fields, and waters of Lethe, and 
a temporary punishment: we had then never heard of ever- 
lasting chains and penal fire.' " 

44 No. The news by Christ is not," (he evidently means, 
not merely,) 44 that there is a future heaven ; but rather, how 
to attain it. Christianity is the solution of that celebrated 
question of Job, 'How shall man be just with God?' Were 
I, therefore, to describe, in very few words, the scope of Chris- 
tianity as a revelation, I should say, that it was to show 4 how 
God could be just, and the justifier of him that believes in 
Jesus.' The particular information, (for we had the general 
before,) is merely collateral. It is a part of the gospel. The 
angel announced it to the shepherds, not as discovering a future 
state, but a Saviour. * Unto you is born this day in the city 
of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.' And St. 
Paul speaks of the gospel as revealing 4 the righteousness of 
God by faith of Jesus Christ.' " (Rom. iii. 22.) 

It may perhaps be thought, that in these remarks Mr. Bu- 
ehanan has interpreted Paley's definition of the design of 

*2 



66 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Christianity too strictly. It is certain, however, that the reve- 
lation of a future state is described by that admirable writer in 
the work in question, too exclusively as the object of the gos- 
pel ; and that its grand message of salvation through a divine 
Redeemer ought, under the actual condition of mankind, to be 
upon all occasions more prominently exhibited. 

The next extract is of a more general, but not less important 
nature. 

" That man is unacquainted with the constitution of the hu- 
man mind, who does not know that it stands in constant need 
of being roused to action. You will answer, / pass a very 
active life. But what principle has roused you to this activity? 
Is it the acquisition of wealth ? love of fame ? love of splen- 
dour ? the gratification of a particular passion ? Or is it a 
principle of piety towards God? a conviction of a future judg- 
ment ? a view of the cross ? 

" We do not ask in what your activity consists, that is unne- 
cessary ; because, if we learn the motive, we learn the action. 
Christianity is properly a religion of motives: it teaches us that 
a good tree cannot but bring forth good fruit: that good princi- 
ples will produce good actions. And therefore it is, that it is 
of little service to declaim against a particular vice ; for though 
one be removed, another will spring up. How can the streams 
be pure, if the fountain be troubled? Hence, too, it is, that 
no spiritual tyranny can be compared to that of the preacher 
insisting that his hearers should practise particular virtues, 
without giving them a principle which can produce such. It 
is like saying to the leper, b be clean,' without pointing to the 
purifying waters of Jordan. 

" Here too failed the Pagan philosophers. They insisted 
on certain virtues, but they knew of no soul-subduing princi- 
ple. When at last a principle was proposed to them from 
heaven, some received it ; but the many rejected it, because it 
was too simple, too humbling, too inconsistent with human 
dogmas and human pride. So it is now. It is easy to des- 
cant in metaphor and trope on the beauties of virtue, the un- 
seemliness of vice, and the fitness of things ; but it is difficult 
to preach Christ crucified. It is easy to say what men ought 
to be ; but it is difficult to say what scripture declares they 
are. 

" If any one should deny this, we would ask one question. 
Why were the Apostles persecuted ? Why were the preach- 
ers of holiness despised?" 

The third extract from the memorials of Mr. Buchanan's 
academical reflections and studies contains some brief observa- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 67 

tions on several important points. The first, relating to en- 
thusiasm in religion, is one only of a series of remarks, which 
prove how carefully he had studied that subject, and with 
what jealousy he viewed any approach to enthusiasm, justly 
so called. 

" Fanaticism proves nothing against religion. It is one of 
its diseases ; and implies no more that there is no such thing 
as religion, than madness that there is no reason, or distemper 
that there is no health, 

" To detect Enthusiasm in one's self or others.*' 
" When a rational account cannot be given of our actions. 
The truly religious man can always give a reason of the hope 
that is in him. The enthusiast contents himself with envelop- 
ing his views in some mysterious passage of scripture, inex- 
plicable even to himself, though influencing his conduct." 

" The enthusiasm sanctioned by scripture is innoxious. It 
is a lambent flame, which warms and animates the soul to hea- 
venly converse. By reason it is sought, by reason directed in 
its operation. But that lawless principle of which we speak, 
like an ignis fatuus, leads the benighted soul into an abyss of 
error and absurdity." 

"'The wicked cannot be eternally punished,' says the phi- 
losopher, ■ for it is contrary to my reason.' ' Thy reason,* 
replies the Almighty, 4 What reason hast thou to judge of my 
purposes ? "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so 
are my thoughts higher than thy thoughts." The portion of 
reason which I have given thee, is sufficient, if rightly exer- 
cised, to teach thee to believe all that I declare, whether thou 
understandest it or not.'* 

" But the philosopher will not submit his reason to God : 
he chooses to be an infidel. He laughs at the ignorance and 
obstinacy of the rustic, who refuses to believe that the earth 
moves round the sun, because it contradicts the evidence of 
his sight; while he himself, more stupidly ignorant, more 
unpardonably obstinate, disbelieves ' the word of God !' " 

" When you find yourself active and alert in body and mind, 
your spirits high, and your understanding clear and capable of 
great things, then betake yourself to prayer, be it noon or 
night. Give to God your best hours." 



68 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



" Christianity was at first assisted in its propagation by the 
civilization and extent of the Roman empire. 

" Thus onr extensive commerce with the known world 
ought to aid it once more." 

One other extract from Mr. Buchanan's collections will re- 
call our attention to the progress of this memoir. It contains 
his practical inferences from a view of the office of deacons in 
the primitive church, apparently compiled from Irenaeus. 

11 It is my business," he concludes from this view, "to keep 
in the background, considering myself as but a servant or 
under-worker ; to try to endear my rector more to his people, 
little solicitous about my own fame ; only anxious to promote 
his cause by exemplary conduct, and to fill up the blank spaces 
or intervals of his labours; for though blank places are sup- 
plied by an unskilful hand, it does not much disfigure the 
work. Mine, in short, I conceive, is to be, the humble office 
of performing the mechanical part of the sacerdotal func- 
tion." 

The singular humility of these reflections, combined with 
the preceding evidence of his piety, as well as of his literary 
and theological attainments, sufficiently testify the fidelity and 
success with which Mr. Buchanan had improved the period of 
his academical residence, and how fully he was qualified to 
engage in the sacred office to which he aspired. He took his 
degree of B, A. at the commencement, as he had proposed ; 
and in pursuance of the intention which he had expressed iu 
his last letter to Mr. Newton, he appears to have continued at 
Cambridge during the long vacation till the second week in 
September, when he wrote to his excellent friend, under whose 
experienced guidance he was about shortly to enter upon the 
important work of the ministry, in the following terms. 

" I had a letter from the Bishop's secretary this morning. 
His lordship approves of my credentials. Thursday se'nnight 
(the 17th inst.) is appointed for the examination, and Sunday 
following for the ordination. I propose to leave Cambridge on 
Tuesday evening by the mail, which will be in town early 
next morning ; and I shall proceed to Fulham without stop- 
ping, that I may have the remainder of the day and next morn- 
ing to myself. So it is not probable that I shall see you till 
Monday following. 

"I demand your prayers for one who is about to enter on 
the ministry. Pray, that when the bishop lays his hands 
upon my head, I may devote myself a martyr for Him, who 
hung upon the cross for me." 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. by 

In this strong and affecting language did Mr. Buchanan ex- 
press the feelings with which he was about to dedicate himself 
to the service of his Redeemer. It is not often, perhaps, that 
so deep an impression of the love of Christ is felt by the can- 
didate for the sacred office ; but, though the disposition of 
every one ought to be similar, the case of Mr. Buchanan was 
doubtless somewhat peculiar. The steps by which he had 
been led to the ministry of the gospel, and the hints which had 
more than once been given of his probable employment in a 
foreign country, tended to inspire him with the purpose and 
the resolution which he thus briefly but forcibly described. It 
can scarcely be doubted, that the diary in which he had been 
accustomed, from the year 1790, to record both the events of 
his life and his private reflections, contained a more detailed 
account of his feelings and sentiments upon this interesting 
occasion ; but the loss of that valuable memorial deprives us 
of any farther particulars respecting it, and compels us to be 
contented with the simple fact, that after an examination, 
which appears to have been more than ordinarily satisfactory, 
Mr. Buchanan was ordained a deacon on Sunday the 20th of 
September, 1795, at Fulham, by the late pious and excellent 
Bishop Porteus. Immediately after this admission into holy 
orders, he entered upon his engagement as curate to Mr. New- 
ton, and continued, during a few succeeding months, to dis- 
charge the humble and unobtrusive duties which he had pre- 
viously so well described. 

Early, however, in the year 1796, the friends by whose 
christian kindness and liberality he had been introduced into 
the church, conceiving that his talents might be more advan- 
tageously employed abroad, recurred to the plan which had for 
some time been more or less in their view, and resolved to en- 
deavour to obtain for him the appointment of a chaplain in the 
service of the East India Company. Application was accord- 
ingly made to a distinguished Director, Charles Grant, Esq., 
accompanied by such testimonials as amply certified the qua- 
lifications of Mr. Buchanan for the office to which he was re- 
commended. Of these it may be proper to insert copies, more 
particularly as they may tend to accredit the judgment as well 
as the zeal which led to the appointment in question. The 
first is from the President and Fellows of Queen's College, 
Cambridge, and is expressed in the following terms. 

" Queen's College, Cambridge, March 8, 1796. 
" We the undersigned, the President, Tutors, and Fellows 
of Queen's college, Cambridge, do certify that Claudius Bu- 



70 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ch a nan has been a member of this college upwards of four 
years, during which time he regularly resided among us, and 
always conducted himself with the greatest propriety and de- 
corum. His attention to discipline, his sobriety, and progress 
in learning, gave the greatest satisfaction to the governing part 
of the college ; and, in general, we have no doubt but that he 
is well qualified by talents and good principles to undertake the 
offices in India, for which we are informed he is a candidate. 

Isaac Milner, President. 

J. Thos. Jordan, Vice-President. 

P. Heaton. 

Fras. Knipe, Tutor. 

T. L. HUBBERSTY. 

R. A. Ingram. 

C. Farish, Dean. 

Thos. Bourdillon, Lecturer." 

The preceding certificate was transmitted to Mr. Grant by 
Dr. Milner with the following letter, in which the learned Pre- 
sident took the opportunity of bearing a more particular and 
decisive testimony to the merits of Mr. Buchanan. 

" Queers College, Cambridge, March 8, 1796. 
" Dear Sir, — I enclose you the college's testimonial of Mr. 
Buchanan's good behaviour, which is expressed in general 
terms : but if it were needful to be more particular, I could add 
a great deal. In my judgment, much may be expected from 
his ability, industry, and discretion. He has an uncommon 
zeal for every thing that is praiseworthy, and this zeal is tem- 
pered and directed by a sound and well-informed understand- 
ing. His good sense and attainments must procure him re- 
spect everywhere. He will be certainly on the watch for op- 
portunities to do good. Mr. Buchanan obtained both classical 
and mathematical prizes at college. 

M 1 am, dear Sir, yours, Isaac Milner. 

'• To Charles Gtrajtt, Esq., London/' 

The testimonial of the venerable Bishop Porteus is equally 
satisfactory as to that part of Mr. Buchanan's qualifications 
which came more immediately under his lordship's notice. It 
was as follows. 

"London House, March 12, 1796. 
11 Being desired to bear my testimony to the character and 
ability of the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, I hereby certify that 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 71 

he was admitted to the holy order of Deacon hy me on the 
20th of September, 1795 ; that he brought with him the usual 
testimonials from college, and was highly spoken of to me by 
some gentlemen of very respectable character. His attain- 
ments in sacred literature, and particularly in the knowledge of 
the scriptures, I think superior to what I have found in most 
of those that I have examined for holy orders. 

B. London." 

In consequence of these various testimonies to his abilities 
as a scholar, his attainments as a divine, and his general cha- 
racter for temperate and well-directed zeal for the honour of 
God, and the welfare of mankind, Mr. Buchanan was appoint- 
ed one of the chaplains to the East India Company on Wed- 
nesday, March 30, 1796. When introduced to the Court of 
Directors, for the purpose of taking the oaths usual upon simi- 
lar occasions, he was addressed by the chairman, the late Sir 
Stephen Lushington, on the importance of his office, and on 
the duties imposed on a minister of religion in India ; and so 
lively a recollection did he retain of this unexpected but very 
laudable charge, that he more than once referred to it in the 
course of his future life. He thus mentions the address of the 
honourable chairman many years after it had been delivered. 

44 The venerable Baronet observed, that French principles 
were sapping the foundation of Christianity and of social order ; 
and he earnestly inculcated on me the duty of defending and 
promoting the principles of the christian religion by every pro- 
per means. I was much affected by the solemnity of the oe* 
casion, and by the energy and feeling with which the address 
was delivered: and the subject of the charge itself made a great 
impression on my mind, particularly when meditating on it 
afterwards, during my voyage*" 

Soon after the appointment of Mr* Buchanan to India, he 
received priest's orders from the Bishop of London ; and in 
the month of May went down to Scotland, in order at once to 
revisit his family, and again take leave of them previously to 
his approaching voyage to India. 

The feelings of both parties upon this meeting were, it may 
be readily imagined, of a mixed but very interesting nature. 
Nearly nine years had elapsed since Mr. Buchanan, partly im- 
pelled by disappointed affection, and partly by the flattering 
visions of a youthful imagination, had left his native country, 
and sojourned in a strange land. During that long interval 
many remarkable events had occurred. One of his earthly 
parents was no more ; but he had, like the prodigal, returned 



72 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

to his heavenly Father, and by him he had been distinguished 
by peculiar marks of kindness and favour. After having suf- 
fered many external hardships and much inward distress, he 
had been relieved in no ordinary manner from both, by the 
providence and grace of God. Opportunities had been afford- 
ed him, which he had diligently improved, of acquiring the 
treasures of human science and learning ; and with a mind 
thus richly stored, and a heart deeply impressed with the ines- 
timable value of the gospel, he had been called to the work of 
the ministry, and had now the prospect of being permitted " to 
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. , ' 
The emotions of Mr. Buchanan during his journey to Scotland, 
under these remarkable circumstances, must have been pecu- 
liarly affecting. While a M new song" had been put into his 
mouth, of joy and thanksgiving, it would be somewhat damped 
by the recollection of past sorrows, the pain of his approach- 
ing departure from his kindred and country, and the anticipa- 
tion of future labours and trials. The feelings of his widowed 
mother and surviving brethren would be scarcely less chequered 
by joy and sorrow. Delighted as they must have been by the 
return of their beloved relative, enriched with divine and human 
knowledge, and honoured by an appointment which more than 
realized their highest wishes and expectations, the pleasure of 
their intercourse with him would be not a little clouded by the 
the thought of its transient nature, and the prospect of a long, 
perhaps, as to this world, a final separation in a far distant 
land. . Such, we may justly suppose, were the mutual feelings 
and reflections of Mr. Buchanan and his family during his 
short abode with them at this interesting period. He appears 
to have remained in Scotland till the first week in June, when 
he returned to London to complete the preparations for his voy- 
age. On the 3rd of July, he preached for Mr. Newton at St. 
Mary Woolnoth ; and terminated by a pious and affectionate 
farewell, his short connexion with the congregation of his dear 
and venerable friend. 



Jftemotrs of the 2&eb. Br. Buchanan. 
PART II. 

CHAPTER I. 

Amongst the various recommendations and introductions from 
his more immediate patrons and friends, by which Mr. Bu- 
chanan was accompanied to India, one occurs, from so respect- 
able a quarter, and of so appropriate a nature, that it may be 
proper to insert it. This is a letter from the Rev. Dr. Gaskin, 
Secretary to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, 
to the Rev. David Brown, then one of the East India Compa- 
ny's chaplains, resident in Calcutta. That part of his letter 
which relates to Mr. Buchanan, is as follows : 

" LojTDoy, July 3, 1796. 
"Rev. and dear Sir, — It is with particular pleasure that I 
introduce to you the name of the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, 
who is appointed to be chaplain to the Hon. Company, and in 
whom I am persuaded you will find a most valuable colleague; 
as I have every reason to believe, from the intercourse I have 
had with him, and from the testimony chiefly of my Lord 
Bishop of London, that he is a man of sound learning, serious 
piety, and great steadiness. I was myself present, and assist- 
ed at his admission to priest's orders. The pleasure I have 
in communicating this information is increased considerably 
from the full expectation I entertain, that he will cheerfully, 
and to the utmost of his power, assist you at the mission 
church." 

This was, however, by no means the only introduction 
which Mr. Buchanan carried with him to the pious and excel- 
lent person to whom the foregoing letter was addressed ; who 
afterwards proved one of his most valued and intimate friends, 
and with whom he was long associated in the various labours 
which devolved upon him in India. 

Thus recommended and accredited, Mr. Buchanan left Lon- 
don for Portsmouth on Saturday the 30th of July, and on the 



74 MEMOIRS OF DR. HUCHANAK". 

1 lth of August following, he embarked on board the Busbridge 
East Indiaman, commanded by Captain Dobree, and sailed for 
Bengal. During the course of his extensive voyage, Mr. Bu- 
chanan was diligently employed in acquiring useful knowledge,, 
and in endeavouring to promote the improvement of his various 
companions and fellow-passengers. 

The principal subjects of his studies were probably such as 
bore an immediate reference to the work of the ministry, and 
to his peculiar destination in India ; but the only traces of 
them which now remain, consist of some additional common- 
place books, one of which is dated at sea, in January, 1797, 
near the island of St. Paul, containing abridgments of che- 
mistry from Lavoisier, of Botany, from Rousseau and Martin, 
of the history of Denmark and Sweden, and miscellaneous 
observations, chiefly of an historical nature. 

Of his employments, views, and feelings in the early part 
of his voyage, the following letter to Mr. Newton presents an 
interesting account. 

"BUSBTCTI>GE EaST-IxDIAMAX, "> 

At sea, off the Canaries, 27 Aug. 1796.3 

" My dear Sir, — I take the opportunity of writing to you 
by the Polyphemus, a 64 gun ship, w r hich, after convoying us 
safely to this latitude, returns now T to England. We have had 
a monsoon all the way. We took our departure from the 
Lizard, and in eight days made the island of Madeira ; a shorter 
passage than the East India fleet has ever had. In two days 
we hope to arrive at the trade winds; indeed, the captain 
thinks we have them already. About the end of September we 
expect to reach the cape, from which place you will probably 
hear from me. I enjoy good health on board. I was sea-sick 
for about a week. Every body pays me much attention. I 
am instructing some in science, some in classical knowledge, 
some in the belles lettres, and all, I hope, in christian truth. I 
do not expect to be so useful in preaching sermons to them, as 
in conversation. The captain supports a very consistent cha- 
racter. He is the friend of virtue, and I doubt not but he will 
continue to arm my endeavours with his power. All his offi- 
cers are in proper subjection to him, and exert their authority 
in the ship in accommodating me. 

44 We have more than a dozen officers of the army going out 
as passengers. I have some weight with them ; but there are 
many divisions among themselves. They have been challeng- 
ing already; and probably duels may follow. 

" We are now about twenty sail. The frigate l'Oiseau 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 75 

accompanies us to the Cape, and will probably carry home our 
letters. 

44 One day lately an enemy appeared in sight, and we began 
to think of an -engagement. Then was the time for examining 
myself, and learning what was my object in -a voyage to India. 
Indeed, unless we have some confidence that the Lord is with 
lis, our hearts must -sink in despair on such occasions. But 
where we can believe that He is leading us out on his own ser- 
vice, we have nothing to fear from an enemy, or from the dan- 
gers of the sea. On the contrary, the faithful servant must 
rejoice that his Lord will come so soon, and lead him to that 
rest which he seeks for in vain on earth. 

44 When the enemy came nearer, they discovered that wo 
had a superior force, and bore away. 

"I hope Miss C. and the rest of your house are happy. 
They have great advantages, which I trust they improve. 
They live in the house of peace and instruction. They, with 
you, wMl, I hope, shortly inherit your mansion in the skies. 

"It is with me as I expected. 1 feel little difference in mind, 
whether navigating the ocean, or sitting quietly in Coleman- 
-street It would appear as if I had lost all relish for earthly 
pleasure, No novelty excites my attention. My countenance 
is acquiring a grave settled -cast. I feel as if nothing could 
give joy to my soul, but freedom from the body. And yet 
being sensible that I may remain long on duty here, I often in- 
quire of myself how I am to pass the heavy hours. Perhaps 
a closer walk with G-od, greater activity in his service, and 
some species of affliction hitherto imfelt, may at length un- 
loose my bonds, and give me that enjoyment of life to which 
I have so long been a stranger. I have great hopes indeed 
from enterprising a little in my Master's -service, and righting 
w r ith courage for his honour. I shall write to you from time 
to time, and acquaint you how it is with me, 

44 It will be a remarkable day when you and I meet in hea- 
ven. I dare not say, 8erd redeas? because I trust that you 
are 4 ready. ' I fear you will have learnt many a song in hea- 
ven before f come. But let me not despond What saith the 
-seripture ? Ut dies, sic robur. 

44 May you be preserved in your old age, so that your Lord 
may be glorified in the ending, as in the beginning of your 
christian life. 

M Forgive me all my faults, and believe me to be, my dear 
£>k, your affectionate son^ C, Buchanan," 



76 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

The foregoing letter appears to contain the only memorial 
of Mr. Buchanan's voyage which now exists. His diary, the 
loss of which we must have frequent occasion to lament, 
doubtless recorded many particulars which might have gratified 
and instructed us. A few memoranda, however, only remain. 
On the 18th of November, some weeks later than he had ex- 
pected, the fleet arrived at the Cape of Good Hope. On the 
10th of December, it again sailed, and reached Madras on the 
17th of February; and on the 10th of March, Mr. Buchanan 
landed at Calcutta, two days before the completion of the 31st 
year of his age. 

On his arrival at the capital of the British possessions in 
India, he was hospitably received by the Rev. Mr. Brown, 
and resided for a short time in his family. He then took a 
house in Durrumlollah, where, however, he continued but 
two months, being at the end of that time appointed chap- 
lain at Barrackpore, a military station about sixteen miles 
above Calcutta. 

By this arrangement, which, however usual according to 
the rules of the East India service, he does not appear to 
have anticipated, Mr. Buchanan found himself placed in a si- 
tuation by no means congenial with his taste and feelings, 
and affording but few opportunities for the exercise of his 
ministry. Barrackpore possessed no place for public wor- 
ship ; and divine service was never required by the military 
staff to which he was attached. 

This unexpected seclusion from active duty, combined with 
the influence of an enervating climate, which he very soon 
began to feel, and of society for the most part unfriendly to 
religion, produced in Mr. Buchanan a considerable depression 
of spirits, and even gave occasion to some of his friends in 
Europe to attribute his comparative inactivity on his arrival 
in India to abatement of zeal rather than, as the truth requir- 
ed, to causes over which he could exercise no control. 

When Mr. Buchanan arrived at Calcutta, Mr. Brown was 
one of the two chaplains of the presidency. He held also 
the chaplaincy of the garrison. Some of Mr. Buchanan's 
friends in England conceived that the latter appointment 
might have been transferred to him ; or that he might have 
officiated at the mission church. As to the garrison, it ap- 
pears that motives of delicacy and kindness towards Mr. 
Brown, with whom he lived from the first on the most 
friendly and affectionate terms, prevented him from soliciting 
such an arrangement; and the mission church was then occu- 
pied by the Rev. Mr. Ringeltaube, a clergyman of the Lu- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 77 

theran church, who had been sent to India under the patronage 
of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. No 
sooner, however, had Mr. Ringeltaube abandoned this post, as 
he shortly afterwards did, than Mr. Buchanan participated 
with Mr. Brown the gratuitous labour of the mission church. 
f ! t appears also, that he occasionally performed divine service in 
his house at Barraekporc; probably as often as he could ob- 
tain an audience. 

The following letter will explain the confidential nature of 
Mr. Buchanan's intercourse with Mr. Brown. The former 
•part of it relates to a proposed measure respecting an evenings 
lecture at one of the churches in Calcutta, and to the chap- 
laincy of Fort William : the latter will exhibit a most interest- 
ing and instructive picture of the mind of the writer, and will 
throw considerable light on some of the preceding observa- 
tions. 

** Bahra'ckpors, 9th June, 1797. 

*" My dear Sir, — I have just received yours, I understood 
your last very well, i meant to say in answer, that to levy a 
contribution for the current expenses of the lecture, w r ould be 
very painful to me ; equally so as a contribution for personal 
support. 

"When I mentioned my idea of gratuity for professional* 
duties, it -was to explain my delicacy about pecuniary subscrip- 
tion. 1 had no allusion to the sentiments of others. If I 
were in your situation, it is probable that I should do as 
you do. 

"I think the justice you owe your family in an expensive 
situation, demands that you be very well satisfied with the 
propriety of giving up the chaplaincy of the Fort, as long as 
it is agreeable to the rules of the service that you should re- 
tain it ; and as Jong as you can perform the service it requires 
as well as any other. 

" Let us ikkv talk on the subject <&f your former letter a 
little. 

44 1 think you speak of yourself with more diffidence, or 
rather despondency, than you ought. How do you know 
that your Thursday evening lecture is not the most useful of 
all your ministoiioas ? And with respect to industry, have 
you not much reason to be thankful, that, after a ten years' re- 
sidence in this deteriorating country, you feel yourself so much 
alive to the ministry of Christ? And is it not another reason 
for thankfulness, that you have been preserved from seeking 
great things for yourself? I think you very happy indeed, 

g2 



78 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

that you have nothing to do with this world ; but that your 
chief work is to make proof of your ministry, as the Lord 
shall prosper it. As splendid a crown awaits him who shall 
do a little in this country, as him who shall do much at 
home. 

44 It is not probable that you or I shall live long. What 
seek we then ? There is no fame for us here. There is some 
reproach, whether we be faithful or not. So that we lose 
nothing by being faithful. I am so young in these things, that 
I do not know any thing about them. I have only entered the 
wilderness. But I apprehend much. I would gladly enter 
Canaan, without encountering 4 the greatness of the way/ 
Were it the will of God, and were he to give me faith and 
strength for it, I would to-morrow, with great joy, leave this 
world, and all it offers. Were I sure it would not entangle 
and destroy me at last, I would rather stay and endeavour to 
do something for God ; but I am not sure of that. 

"I often compare myself, in my present exile, to John, in 
the island of Patmos. Would that, like him, I had finished 
my course, and had only to contemplate * the new heavens 1' 
But I am a stranger to suffering 4 for the word of God, and the 
testimony of Jesus Christ.' 

44 I sigh much for that singleness of mind and purity of 
heart, and love to God, which distinguish the disciple of 
Christ. And I often wonder whether it is to be effected by 
keen affliction in body and spirit, or by the 4 power of the 
word of God, dividing asunder like a two-edged sword,' or by 
long fighting and sorrowful experience slowly teaching, and 
ending with a doubt whether I am taught. 

44 Amidst the multitude of my thoughts, * the Lamb that 
was slain' is my only hope ! 

44 How frequent is the character of a semi-serious christian ! 
There is a state, in which some have been held for many 
years : a state, whose nature was never rightly understood by 
those around them, nor by themselves ; sometimes looking to 
the word of God, and sometimes to the world ; sometimes 
animated by a zeal to live holily, and sometimes sinking un- 
der a particular sin. From such a state they have at length 
emerged ; and shone, in the evening of life, with a splendour 
which has dazzled all around. 

n I hope that Mrs. Brown is in good health and spirits. 
Buxtorf came safe up the river. I am sorry to find that 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 79 

that silent critic, the White Ant, has perused almost every 
page. 

" I remain, dear Sir, yours very affectionately, 

C. Buchanan." 

The preceding letter scarcely requires a comment. Who 
can avoid perceiving in it evident traces of a generous, a spi- 
ritual, and a heavenly mind ? Who can help lamenting that 
such a man should for a time have been placed in circum- 
stances so unfavourable to the attainment of the great object 
which he had in view in accepting an appointment in India; 
or indulging a hope, that a time would come, when the provi- 
dence of God would open to him a way to greater exertions, 
and more extensive usefulness ? 

Though Mr. Buchanan's retirement at Barrackpore did not, 
however, admit of very active employment in the duties of 
his ministry, it afforded him a valuable opportunity for private 
study, which he diligently and successfully improved. 

His commonplace books at this period evince the same 
laudable desire of increasing his store of useful knowledge, 
which we have already witnessed. Some remarks in one of 
them prove his anxiety to fortify himself against the dangers 
of worldly society, to which he was then considerably ex- 
posed, and to attain the important art of living " in and out of 
the world at the same time," of " using this world as not 
abusing it." Upon this point he quotes a passage from Mr. 
Addison, which appears to express the object he was himself 
endeavouring to attain. " We shall never be able," observes 
that sensible and elegant writer, " to live to our satisfaction in 
the deepest retirement, until we learn to live, in some measure, 
to our satisfaction, amidst the noise and business of life." 

Other parts of the same book contain reflections on the Per- 
sian language, on the improvement of time, on the value of 
christian friendship, on purity of conscience, on the propaga- 
tion of the gospel, and on the happiness of heaven. 

The following extract from a letter to Mr. Henry Thornton, 
dated the 25th of July, 1797, gives a pleasing view of one im- 
portant branch of Mr. Buchanan's studies at Barrackpore. 

" As the friend of my beginning studies, you will naturally 
be desirous to know in what way they have been continued 
since my arrival in India. I am now proceeding in a work 
which I began when I last enjoyed retirement, namely, a seri- 
ous, and, I may say, laborious examination of the scriptures 
in the original tongues. My inquiries are not so much philo- 
logical, as practical. The meaning of the Holy Spirit in scrip- 



80 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ture is the 4 one thing needful' for the student : and I hope it 
will be the subject of many a joyful w^k* to me. This severity 
of investigation reminds me of my mathematical vigils. Some 
have considered that interval at college as the most useful era in 
the history of the mind. It shows what powers of application 
the soul possesses on a subject it loves ; even such applica- 
tion as Paul recommends to Timothy, who was engaged in 
my present studies — * t*tg/? itBi. < Exist, or live in them.' 

" This, Sir, is a climate which tries the mind like a furnace. 
Deterioration seems inherent in Indian existence. Were God 
to grant me a peculiar blessing, it would be the habit of in- 
dustry whilst I remain in this country. I have observed, in 
reading the lives of the good, that the most eminent were men 
famed for their industry. I have observed too, that few of them 
had to encounter what Boileau calls the dangerous career of 
wit and genius. The wisdom of God is shown in choosing 
for them that disposition of mind which is best suited to a 
sedulous and humble perusal of his eternal w r ord ; for genius 
hath ever been a foe to industry. 

" I have a Moonshee in the house to instruct me in the Hin- 
dostanee and Persian languages. Not knowing what may be 
the purpose of God concerning me, I have thought it my duty 
to attend early to the languages of the country ; and to the con- 
stitution, civil and religious, of the mixed people in it." 

Amidst this diligent improvement of his retirement at Bar- 
rackpore, Mr. Buchanan, however, entered with lively interest 
into every thing around him connected with real religion, and 
embraced with much warmth of feeling every occasion which 
presented itself, either of kindness or of service. 

Of this the following extract from a letter to a lady at Edin- 
burgh, on the death of her son, is a pleasing and satisfactory 
proof. It is dated from Calcutta, December 4, 1797, and was 
enclosed in another, in which she was kindly requested, before 
.she opened it, to prepare her mind for intelligence which would 
at first deeply affect her, but which she would after wards ac- 
knowledge had given her such a theme for rejoicing as she had 
never before possessed. 

" 1 had no thoughts," Mr. Buchanan begins, " of writing to 
you at this time ; but I have news for you from heaven. Your 
beloved E. has * fought the good fight, he has finished his 
course, he has kept the faith.' His spirit took its flight at 
twelve o'clock. About three weeks ago he visited me at Bar- 
rackpore, where he stayed a day or two. He was then in good 
health. Our conversation was much on spiritual subjects. He 
told me his heart felt the first powerful impression of religion 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 81 

when on his passage to this country ; and that since his arrival, 
God had been very gracious to him. Finding this country not 
only unfavourable to health, but to holiness of life, he had long 
deliberated whether he ought not to return to Europe, and had 
at length resolved to do so, believing it to be the will of God. 
He anticipated the joy of conversing with those amongst his 
friends at Edinburgh who knew the Lord, and wondered that 
he had not * made more of them,' while among them. But he 
has now a better society. 

44 Next day he returned to Calcutta, and on the Sabbath fol- 
lowing I went down to preach. My subject was, 4 The triumph 
of the christian in being able to submit his soul to the darkest* 
dispensations of God.' On that day your son took the sacra- 
ment for the second time in this country. On the evening of 
the same day the Rev. Mr. Brown preached, ? On the consola- 
tions of the soul which cordially assents to being justified by 
faith.' This was the last sermon your beloved child ever heard ; 
and he told me it was sweet to the ear, and inexpressibly rich 
to his soul. On the next day he was taken ill. Our most able 
physician here, Dr. Hare from Edinburgh, attended him. Dur- 
ing that week we had no apprehensions of his fever being 
dangerous. Before my return to Barrackpore on Monday last, 
I passed the morning with him. We then conceived hopes of 
his soon being well. He sat by me on the sofa for an hour. 
We talked about his passage to his native country ; for the ship 
was now ready to sail — But I perceived that his mind was dwell- 
ing on his passage to the heavenly country. He spoke much 
of the consolations arising from converse with God during sick- 
ness. * How amazing is it,' said he, 4 that the Lord should have 
called me to such knowledge and to such grace before I die ! 
India has been a happy land to me.' When I left him, he said, 
he hoped he should be able to come to church next Sunday. 
Not hearing from his brother of his being worse, I did not re- 
turn to Calcutta till yesterday. In the evening I preached, but 
did not see him in his usual seat. When I called this morn- 
ing, I found that he had just entered into rest. His countenance 
is placid and serene in death, like the state of his mind before 
his dissolution. 

44 Such, my dear madam, has been the happy death of your 
son. You are a happy mother, to have had such a son ! He 
has left a noble testimony to the gospel in this place ; and his 
memory will be long cherished by many. His brother loved 
him affectionately, and is inconsolable at his loss. His conver- 
sation and example have been of use to many. He preached 
to them in his life, and he preached to them by his death. 



82 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Admire therefore the dispensation of God in leading him to this 
country. It was not for evil, but for much good." 

"Tuesday, Dec. 5. 

81 This morning, at eight o'clock, I committed to the earth the 
remains of your dear son. It was a solemn occasion. I was 
much affected at seeing so many persons attend it. Most of 
them were only acquainted with his character; but they wished 
to show some respect to the memory of one of those few who 
1 wear white garments in this Sardis.' The Rev. Mr. Brown 
was chief mourner ; but yet he rejoiced that the Lord had lent 
your child so long to us, and that now ' he had taken him from 
the evil to come.' " 

The strain of Christian piety and consolation which pervades 
the foregoing letter must be obvious to every one, but will be 
best appreciated by those who know experimentally the un- 
speakable value of well-grounded hopes concerning the future 
happiness of those who were dear to them ; more particularly, 
if they have been taken from them in a distant land. The spirit 
of lively faith with which Mr. Buchanan speaks of the glorious 
hope of the gospel, is strongly characteristic of his mind ; and 
may serve to counterbalance some less cheerful and animating 
views respecting himself, which he at this period occasionally 
expressed. 

Thus, early in the ensuing year, he wrote to Mr. Grant in 
the following terms. 

"Calcutta, 6th Feb. 1793. 

M My dear Sir, — I have now been near a year in this coun- 
try, and have not yet had the satisfaction of hearing from you. 
I wish to know what you think of my voyage to the East. I 
seem to have come out under rather unfavourable auspices. No 
feature of my mission is very agreeable. But I view the whole 
as the counsel of the Almighty ; and I know that in his plan 
there is great beauty, though I may not perceive it. 

M I have passed this last year in military society, or in soli- 
tude. And as I shall shortly be stationed up the country, I 
cannot expect any material change during life. But if I rightly 
improve the opportunities I may have, 1 shall do well. What 
I lament most is the effect this inactive life has on my mind. 
You will not be surprised if both my moral and intellectual 
powers surfer by it. The climate no doubt has its effect in 
this hebetation of the soul ; and I hope I shall recover from it 
in time. 

" I suffered a long struggle before I could resign myself pas- 
sively to my unexpected destination. But the struggle is now 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 83 

over ; and I view myself as one who has run his race ; to whom 
little more is left to do. I have known some, who, in such a 
case, would have extricated themselves with violence, and 
sought a new fortune in the gospel. But it will require a very 
evident interposition of God indeed to bring me out of this 
Egypt, now that he has placed me in it: I shall esteem myself 
highly favoured, if I be enabled to pass my days in it, with a 
pure conscience, endeavouring to do a little, where much can- 
not be done. 

" I take the liberty of enclosing a bill for fifty pounds for my 
mother : which I request you will be so good as to send to her, 
after it is accepted. 

" I beg to be remembered to all your family, and to Mr. and 
Mrs. Thornton, and remain, dear Sir, 

"Yours, with much respect and gratitude, 

C. Buchanan." 

The desponding tenor of this letter, connected as it is with 
similar expressions in some others, may require a few explana- 
tory observations. The unfavourable influence of the climate 
upon his health, to which Mr. Buchanan refers, must evidently 
be considered as the principal cause of the depression under 
which he laboured. He was, doubtless, disappointed in the 
silence and obscurity to which his station at Barrackpore had 
consigned him, and which he imagined would be shortly ren- 
dered still more hopeless, by his removal to a greater distance 
from Calcutta, in the interior of the country, It is certain, also, 
that he felt the want of sympathy and encouragement from 
some of his friends in England. They had very reasonably 
formed considerable expectations of his exertions to promote 
the cause of religion in India ; and their distance from the scene 
prevented them from being fully aware of the circumstances 
which had hitherto retarded them. Yet amidst it all, his calm 
submission to what he believed to be the will of God, his re- 
fusal to step beyond the prescribed limits of his duty as a mili- 
tary chaplain, and his pious reference of himself and his ser- 
vices to the divine disposal, prove, that whatever might be his 
discouragements, his heart was " right with God ;" and that 
he was faithfully employing the " talent" at that time com- 
mitted to his trust. 

The history of Mr. Buchanan's first appointment in India 
will not be in vain, if it serve to check in any who may be 
similarly situated, either abroad or at home, the too natural dis- 
position to despondency or haste ; and to lead them, in the 
conscientious improvement of present opportunities, to wait 



84 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

patiently for farther openings, and in the mean time to " hope 
in God ;" and if it tend to abate in those who may be observ- 
ing them any impatience of their backwardness in fulfilling 
even just expectations ; and to teach them that charity, which, 
concerning the substantially pious and sincere, " hopeth all 
things." 

In the month of July following, Mr. Buchanan wrote to 
several of his friends by the overland despatch. In one of 
these letters to Mr. Elliott, of Clapham, he informs him of the 
arrival of his son at Calcutta. 

Of the talents and extensive acquirements, the splendid 
career in the college of Fort William, shortly afterwards estab- 
lished, and the premature and lamented death of this valuable 
and accomplished young man, the writer of these memoirs has 
on a former occasion recorded a brief account.* In again men- 
tioning his name, he does it chiefly for the purpose of illustrat- 
ing the character of Mr. Buchanan ; to whose kindness, coun- 
sels, and example, he was eminently indebted. To his father 
Mr. Buchanan thus writes. 

" Your son William is arrived. I had long looked for him, 
as for a brother. He resided with me at Barrackpore for two 
months, and then went up to Malda, where he now is. He 
has conducted himself with much propriety, and conciliated 
the favour and respect of many. In some of his anticipations 
he was sanguine and incorrect; but his good sense gradually 
removed the veil, and discovered things in the right point of 
view ; and I think he has now formed a very tolerable estimate 
of India, and of his situation in it. Government was at first 
disposed to place him at Calcutta. This would have deranged 
all your and my plans concerning him. I do not live at Cal- 
cutta. He would have been obliged to keep house by himself; 
for there is no private family that would receive him ; and the 
expense would have been so great, that all his prudence could 
not easily save him from debt. Another evil of that situation 
is the ensnaring society. The young men live by themselves, 
as at college. Such a society has proved instant death to the 
virtue of many. After two or three years, I shall have less 
objection to his residence in Calcutta. He will then have more 
fortitude and more money, worse health, and lower spirits. 

" I was happy to observe that William's mind was not in- 
jured by the infidel conversation on board ship. It led him 
however to inquire. And he was a good deal surprised at the 
volume of evidence for the truth of Christianity, which he 

* See Dissertation on the Promotion of Christianity in India, p. 141. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 85 

found at Barrackpore. While with me he made rapid progress 
in Persian; and was laying deep plans for the attainment of 
general knowledge. I had a letter from him this morning. He 
is well and happy. I wished him to consider Malda as a re- 
tirement, to be consecrated, like college, to the improvement of 
his mind. As yet he is well pleased with the idea. He com- 
plains that business usurps much time. But so he attain the 
habit of industry in this indolent climate, I care not whether it 
be by business or study. Jin active mind, if it be a virtuous 
one, finds time for every thing. 

" He speaks of his father with much affection. Write often 
to him. A father's letter is very seasonable in this country. * 
He begins well ; he far surpasses my sanguine expectations. 
But he has only begun. He w r as surprised to find eight weekly 
newspapers here, together with libraries and learned men. Un- 
fortunately, there are no classical folks at Malda. William's 
Latin and Greek are therefore in danger. He is already sen- 
sible of this; and begins to think that I was right in proposing 
to task him. He is much attached to one mode of mental im- 
provement, — the committing to writing useful observations. He 
has ransacked many of my commonplace books to enrich his 
own. The only annual investment of books you need send 
him, will be the Reviews ; all of which will be acceptable. 
Adieu." 

Were it consistent with the plan of this narrative, several 
letters might here be introduced from Mr. William Elliott, 
which illustrate in a very pleasing manner the advantages he 
derived from the advice and assistance of Mr. Buchanan in his 
classical and oriental studies ; and above all, in cherishing those 
religious views which after no long interval he found to be 
aione supremely valuable. It is probable, from Mr. Buchanan's 
extensive correspondence with young men in India, that many 
others enjoyed similar benefits from his friendly counsel. 

A few of the preceding observations may perhaps be no 
longer applicable to the circumstances of the junior servants of 
the East India Company in Calcutta, in consequence of the 
salutary changes introduced not long afterwards by the institu- 
tion of the College of Fort William : but the almost paternal 
anxiety displayed by the writer for the welfare and improve- 
ment of his young friend, and the practical wisdom of his sug- 
gestions, will be not uninteresting to those who may be con- 
nected, like his correspondent, with India. 

To Mr. Newton, Mr. Buchanan wrote by the same despatch 
as follows, 

44 1 hope, my dear Sir, that you have received many letters 

H 



86 MEMOIRS OF PR. BUCHANAN, 

from me since my arrival here, for I have written many. Yon 
are the only person who has written regularly to me since I 
left England, Your last, dated 2d. Oct, 1797, gave me much 
information, pleasure, and comfort. I have now been a year 
and a half in India, and have not yet engaged in the ministry ;* 
and I know not when 1 shall. At present, indeed, I should 
scarcely be able, were I called to it. The oppression on my 
chest is so great, and my breathing so quick, that I cannot speak 
audibly in conversation but with difficulty. And the total re- 
laxation of my frame, and my inability to sit up long, admonish 
me that I am not intended for long service. Two fevers ^ince 
my arrival have no doubt had some effect in weakening me. 
But I do not attribute my present illness to India. I can trace 
my pectoral weakness to midnight study at college. But I am 
thankful that 1 am without actual pain. I can think and write 
a little for two or three hours every morning. Perhaps I may 
be restored. Perhaps 4 my mouth may yet be opened to speak 
his praise.' 

44 Will you write a note to Mr. Storry, of Colchester, men- 
tioning the following particulars ? John Gale, lately a private 
in the king's service, was executed here for the murder of a 
woman and her child. But though he suffered the death of a 
felon, he died in the faith of Christ. He was just twenty-two 
years of age, being executed on his birthday. He could not 
read, and had only three days' instruction from Mr. Brown 
and myself. It revived our spirits to behold the power of the 
gospel thus displayed in this barren land. On the morning of 
his execution, he requested me to acquaint Mr. Storry with the 
circumstances of his happy death. His parents are hearers of 
Mr. Storry ; and he will be the fittest bearer of these tidings. 

44 How is Dr. Fearon ? My dear Fearon, how are you 1 you 
cannot easily imagine how gratifying your letter was to me. I 
received it on a sick-bed ; and had not seen the face of a chris- 
tian for a month before. A Hindoo, who worships an idol with 
an elephant's head, read it to me three times. I suppose the 
French have not restored my answer to it. My frequent in- 
dispositions have prevented me hitherto from writing so much 
as I wish. But as I consider that all my letters to Mr. Newton 
are letters to you, I conceive myself to have written to you a 
great deal. Remember me, as you ought, to every member of 
your family ; and write me such another letter as you wrote me 
\&s\,ifyou are able" 

The serious indisposition of Mr. Buchanan, as affecting his 

* Evidently meaning, not statedly. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 87 

capacities of usefulness, is distinctly marked in this last letter, 
as well as the expression of his hope of future service. 

The narrative respecting the unhappy soldier, though neces- 
sarily brief, from the narrow limits of an overland despatch, 
ought not, on that account, to be viewed with suspicion. The 
character both of Mr. Brown and Mr. Buchanan forbids the 
supposition that they had formed a hasty judgment of this re- 
markable case ; and though false hopes have not unfrequently 
been cherished upon similar melancholy occasions, yet why 
should we limit the mercies of the Most High, or doubt the 
saving efficacy of faith in the Redeemer, even under circum- 
stances apparently desperate ? It seems probable, too, from the 
introduction of the late Mr. Storry's name, that the unfortunate 
young man in question had received in very early life some 
salutary instructions from the ministry of that excellent man ; 
which, though long forgotten, might have been remembered and 
confirmed to his everlasting benefit, in the hour of extremity. 

Under the same cover, Mr. Buchanan wrote shortly to Mr. 
Grant to the following effect. 

" Lord xMornington has been here near six weeks. As yet, 
he maintains much dignity in his government. He goes re- 
gularly to church, and professes a regard for religion. He has 
been at Barrackpore for ten days past. He w r as surprised 
when I told him that we never had divine service there, or at 
any other station. He was still more surprised when he heard 
there w r ere horse-races here on Sunday morning, 

" The apostolic Obeek is well, and affectionately remembers 
all your family. He succeeds to Swartz in the title to our 
reverence and esteem. Remember me to Mr. Thornton, the 
friend of my studies." 

Mr. Obeck, thus favourably introduced, and whose name 
frequently occurs in Mr. Buchanan's letters, was a native of 
Germany, for many years employed as steward in Mr. Grant's 
family, during his residence in India. The piety and fidelity 
of this good man were rewarded by the liberal support and 
friendly regard of his patron to the day of his death. 

The packet from which the preceding extracts are taken, 
contained a fourth letter to Mr, Simeon, of Cambridge, part of 
which is as follows. 

" I thought to have passed my life near you ; but — thus it is. 
You first, I think, proposed a voyage to me. But you did not 
mean to consign me to silence, or to a camp ! We may yet see 
the wisdom of God in showing me a path through the mighty 
waters. As my health returns, my services may be called for. 

" Remember me to Mrs. B. She alone opposed my com- 



88 MKMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ing to India. Tell her not to triumph. She has not seen to 
the end" 

Three months after the despatch just detailed, Mr. Buchanan 
a^ain wrote at some length to Mr. Newton. In the former 
part of his letter, he repeats, with some additional circum- 
stances, what he had before communicated respecting his situ- 
ation and prospects, chiefly with a view to convince his friends 
in England, that however desirous he might be of more effec- 
tive services in the ministry, the attempt was at that time im- 
practicable. In proof of this he mentions, that before Sir John 
Shore, now Lord Tcignmouth, left India, Mr. Brown procured 
an Order of Council, that the military in the garrison should 
attend at the Presidency church every Sunday morning at six 
o'clock, there being no chapel or service in the garrison itself. 
Strong opposition was made to this order, on the ground that 
the troops would suffer in their health by marching in the sun. 
They attended a few Sundays, but at last the clamour became 
so violent that the order was revoked, and the triumph over re- 
ligion considered complete. Mr. Buchanan states this circum- 
stance in order to show how unavailing any transfer of the 
chaplaincy of the garrison to himself, could it with propriety 
have been effected, would have proved as to the great object of 
his increased usefulness. He adds, however, that when he 
was in Calcutta on a Sunday, he usually performed service at 
the hospital; where, though there was no regular audience, 
there was always a succession of hearers. It appears also by 
this letter, that as Mr. Buchanan had no immediate prospect of 
being himself placed in Calcutta, he was endeavouring, and 
with some success, to improve the religious views of one of 
the chaplains of the Presidency, who seemed desirous of dis- 
charging his duty with fidelity. 

"My health," he observes, "is somewhat improved since 
my last. I have been recommended to take much gentle exer- 
cise. I think I never can be strong ; but regular and easy 
employment, and christian society, may do a great deal ; first 
to my spirits, and then to my health." 

Mr. Buchanan next adverts to the Baptist missionaries, 
Messrs. Thomas and Carey. Of the latter he speaks in terms 
of much commendation. His own expectations respecting the 
conversion of the Hindoos were, at this period, by no means 
sanguine. Of Mr. Carey, therefore, he remarks, that he was 
then chiefly employed in laying the foundation of future use- 
fulness. "He is," says Mr. Buchanan, "translating the Bible 
into the Bengal tongue. This, like WicklifFs first translation, 
may prove the father of many versions." How extensively 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 89 

this anticipation has been realized, it would be unnecessary to 
interrupt this narrative particularly to state. 

44 But," continues Mr. Buchanan, "a rapid spread of the 
gospel is not to be expected in India. You have heard that 
Mr. Swartz was useful in the southern part of Hindostan. It 
is true. But Mr. Swartz entered upon the labours of others. 
The gospel has been preached in that quarter for near a hun- 
dred years past. We may begin here now, as the Danes 
began there a century ago. Zeal and labour, and the lapse of 
years, will no doubt produce the usual fruit. In the revolution 
of this century, 'the dawn' of the gospel has appeared m 
India. After many centuries have revolved, there may be a 
general light. 

"But I wish not that any prudential considerations from 
what has been, or from what may probably be, should check 
the missionary ardour of the day. Nothing great since the 
beginning of the world has been done, it is said, without en- 
thusiasm. I am, therefore, well pleased to see multitudes of 
serious persons,* big with hope, and apt to communicate ; for 
I think it will further the gospel. Instead of thirty missiona- 
ries, I wish they could transport three hundred. They can do 
little harm, and may do some good. But let them send as 
many children as possible, or those who may have children. 
They will do more good by and by than their parents. No 
man turned of thirty can learn to speak a new language well. 
No Englishman turned of twenty, who is only acquainted 
with the labials and dentals of his mother-tongue, can ever ac- 
quire an easy and natural use of the nasals and gutturals of 
the Bengal language. Send, therefore, old men to take care 
of the morals of the young; and send the young to convert 
the heathen." 

Though the progressive observations and experience of Mr. 
Buchanan in some measure modified his sentiments upon the 
important points noticed in the preceding extract, his remarks 
are perhaps substantially true. But this is a subject which 
will hereafter be more fully considered. A few other sentences 
from this letter seem to be worth adding. 

44 Mr. Elliott will be glad to hear that William is well. I 
have a letter from him almost every week. He sends me 
down presents of peacocks and monkies, silk coverlets, and 
fine cossahs. I hear that Mr. Udney reposes much confidence 
in him. Every body must like him, for he has w T hat few here 
have, 4 fine spirits and a good temper.' 

*This probably referred to the London Missionary Society. 

h2 



90 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Mr. Swartz, the apostle of the east, is dead. I wrote him 
a Latin letter a short time IxTore his death. I wished to write 
his life, hut they refuse to send me materials.* Have you 
heard of the ancient Dbeck, in Calcutta? Mr. Grant will tell 
you about him. Mr. Obeck, in Calcutta, is like Lot in Sodom. 
I asked him one day if he could produce ten righteous to save 
the city ? He said be was not sure he could produce ten, but 
thought he could produce five." 

It cannot he doubted that both these excellent men partook 
too largely of the spirit of the prophet, who thought that he 
was the only true worshipper of Jehovah, in a corrupt and de- 
generate age. It is at least certain that Calcutta has added 
greatly, within the last few years, to the number of its ' righte- 
ous' inhabitants ; and not a few in consequence of the labours 
and example of the subject of these memoirs.! 

" My last fever," Mr. Buchanan continues, "produced a 
deafness, which is not yet gone. It is very inconvenient to 



* Some years afterwards Mr. Buchanan procured the documents he at this 
time requested ; though other circumstances prevented him from making use of 
them as he had intended. 

t The improvement in the state of religion at Calcutta, as in many other 
parts of India, has been progressive. While the number of consistent chris- 
tians is still small, compared with the merely nominal adherents to Christianity, 
and the far larger and more appalling mass of idolaters, it is certain that there 
has been a great increase of good, a considerable diminution of evil ingredients, 
in the population of this great city. The following statements respecting its 
condition were made by Archdeacon Corrie, now Bishop of Madras, at the an- 
niversary of the Church Missionary Society, in 1835. 

" In 1805, there were only two places for religious worship of the Establish- 
ed Church; and beyond the confines of Calcutta there was no place of any 
kind : some of the troops used to have prayers read to them in their barracks ; 
others were drawn up for that purpose on the parade, where the chaplain used 
to read a selection of prayers, and a short sermon; but the full service of the 
Church of England was not used. Now, however, happily the case is different : 
there are six places of worship belonging to the Established Church in Calcutta ; 
besides which, divine service is performed in a chapel belonging to the Orphan 
school, where any person who chooses may attend. In addition to the*e, there 
are places of worship belonging to the Scroti isli Church, and others." * * * 

"There are at present in Calcutta, four native youths, who have been con- 
verted to the christian faith, and are prepared to teach the truths of Christianity 
to their Hindoo brethren. One of these, who is of the highest caste of Brah- 
mins, was converted by the missionary labours of the Scottish Church; another 
by means of a military officer an 1 a young merchant." 

The following, from the same address, is deeply interesting, and shows, that 
if the number of the "righteous" at Calcutta in the first part of this century 
was small, it is ever true that " the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
availed* much." 

"The commencement of the diffusion of religious instruction in India may 
be dated from a concert among the christians at Calcutta, who had united in 
earnest prayer to God that He would send labourers into that vineyard. The 
9kepiic may possibly smile at the statement, but it is nevertheless true, that it 
has plea-ted God to hear that prayer, and to bless the exertions of those who 
wade it." — Am. Ed. 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 91 

me; and Dr. Hare says that it may remain a long time. The 
schoolmen say, the loss of all the senses is death. By the 
loss of hearing, I certainly feel the loss of the fifth part of 
life. When nature takes away one sense, they say, she adds 
to the rest. But when disease takes away one, it injures the 
rest. At least I think so. I feel that a sense of infirmity 
cows the mental powers, and thereby hinders their exertion. 

" When you see Mr. Thornton, tell him I often think that 
he has great need of faith to believe the scripture, which 
says, 4 Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it 
after many days.' Many days have elapsed, and yet the 
bread he threw to me is not returned. Adieu. 

C. Buchanan." 

The admirable friend and patron to whom Mr. Buchanan 
thus alludes, was the reverse of any thing impatient or unrea- 
sonable in his expectations from others ; and his habit of scat- 
tering his beneficence widely and liberally was combined with 
a spirit of faith which could wait long for the promised fruit, 
and in many cases be satisfied with leaving his various work 
with God. In the present instance, however, he lived to 
reap, after " not many days," a rich reward of his labour. 

In writing to Mr. Grant, in January, 1799, the following 
passage occurs, which, though brief, shows both xMr. Bu- 
chanan's anxiety to promote the interests of religion in India,, 
and his lively satisfaction at any public regulations which pro- 
mised to be auxiliary to that important object. 

" I wrote to Mr. H. Thornton by the Montrose, on the 8th 
instant. In that letter I ventured to say in what way you might 
probably be of service to us here. But you will be the best 
judge of the propriety of the measure ; though perhaps cir- 
cumstances have now a complexion rather different from what 
they had when you left the country. 

" Your moral regulations, of May last, are come,* and not 
before they were wanted; they have been just published, and 
are well received. I ought not to say published. Lord M.'s 
delicacy induced him to communicate them by circular letter. 
They ought to have been proclaimed from the house-top." 

The next paragraph refers to a melancholy scene which had 
then recently taken place in India. 

" I suppose you have already heard of the massacre at Be- 
nares. Cherry, Graham, Hill, Evans, and Conway, are, I 

* Referring chiefly to a proclamation against Sunday horse-racing, and to the 
erection of chapels at some of the military stations. 



92 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

think, the names of the Europeans murdered. Vizier Ally, 
the perpetrator, is not yet taken. Mr. Davis defended himself 
for an hour in a narrow stair-case. Mrs. Davis loaded his 
pistols behind him. lie lulled two or three of the assassins, 
and the rest fled on the approach of the military. Mrs. Robin- 
son and Miss D'Aguilar had hid themselves in an out-house." 
Mr. Buchanan's acquaintance with some of the literary na- 
tives of India appears from the following introduction of one 
of them to Mr. Grant. 

Bahrackfoue, 28th Jan. 1799. 

44 Dear Sir, — I wrote to you a few days ago by one of the 
regular ships. I now write to introduce to you Aboo Talib 
Khan. He is a mussulman of some consideration among his 
eountrymen, and of some eminence among the Persian literati. 
You may possibly have seen him, as he was well known to Lord 
Corn wall is. He goes to England for the purpose of giving 
his son an English education. And he is in hope that he 
will be assisted by his India friends in promoting this pur- 
pose. 

4 ' He is desirous to inspect the Arabic and Persian MSS. 
in the Universities. I have given him letters of introduction 
to some gentlemen at Cambridge. He has written, in the 
Persian language, a geographical work, a critique on Persian 
poetry, and biographical sketches on eminent poets. 

"He may probably be competent to superintend your new 
museum for Oriental Literature in Leadenhall-street. As his 
circumstances are slender, he may be induced to offer his ser- 
vices for a pecuniary consideration, in any way that may be 
proposed. 

44 1 do not myself know Aboo, but I am intimately acquaint- 
ed with some of his literary friends." 

On the 1st of February following, Mr. Buchanan, after in- 
forming Mr. Elliott of the arrival of his eldest son in Indi«, 
thus intimates the commencement of the system which the 
Governor General w r as now contemplating with respect to the 
junior servants of the company. 

44 Lord Morning-ton aids us here. He no longer leaves it at 
the option of the young men, whether they will study or not. 
An examination at the expiration of three years hence is to 
decide on all pretensions to new appointments. 

44 1 hope you received the letter in which I expressed a wish 
that you would send out all the periodical w T orks issued in the 
style of literary reviews. These are necessary for me. With- 
out them I know not what books to order for this country. I 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 93 

am constantly applied to by families, religious, moral, and dis- 
sipated, to name books for them. I have already inundated 
them with Barruel, Paley, Watson, Wilberforce, and the Pur- 
suits of Literature. I sit here in secret, and do what I can. 
A few of the reviews will not do ; but all will tell me the truth. 
Watch the press for me. You cannot do me a greater favour, 
or perhaps your sons here more good. I want both annual 
reviews from 1789, the era of the new philosophy in opera- 
Hon. Tavlor's sermons, supposed to be written or revised by 
Johnson, send me ; though perhaps they are but 'nugx ca-^ 
norx? I have not seen them." 

A few days after the date of the preceding letter, he wrote" 
at considerable length to one of his Cambridge friends, upon 
a variety of topics connected with their mutual pursuits, and 
interspersed with remarks on India. This letter exhibits the 
impressive sense which the writer entertained of the para- 
mount importance of Christianity, and of the duty of active 
exertions to promote the moral and religious welfare of man- 
kind on the part of himself, and such men as the college 
friends to whom he refers. Many of his observations display 
both aeuteness and elevation of thought, and much know- 
ledge of the world. A few of them relating to the state of 
religion both hi India and England were, perhaps, even then 
somewhat harsh and dogmatical ; but it is extremely difficult 
in the present day to appreciate the justness of such remarks, 
so great has been the moral change in both countries since 
that period. The tendency, however, of the whole is ob- 
viously useful. 

" Calcutta, February 4, 1799." 
After rallying his friend on his remaining at college instead 
of marrying, he expresses himself thus : " A man advances, 
perhaps, till he becomes Bachelor of Arts ; but after that, he 
is retrograde for ever. Is not this generally true ? You may 
perhaps continue to advance in verbiage, but you will go back 
in life. Your endeavours to fulfil the great purposes for which 
you were sent into the world will grow daily more feeble, and 
your view of those purposes will at length be utterly lost." 
* * * " But whither then shall we go, if you divorce us from 
our learned ease? Why, go to London. Take a curacy, or 
take a chapel. Call forth your learning and put your elo- 
quence to use. Sluice the fountain so long embanked at 
college stagnant and green, and permit the waters to rush 
abroad, to fertilize many a plant and gladden the vale. Go 
forth and stem the torrent of infidelity with a resistless elo- 



94 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

quence ; and let me hear your voice on the banks of the 
Ganges. To what purpose have you laboured at Quinctilian, 
if you do not now lift up your voice and proclaim the glad 
tidings of the everlasting gospel ? * * * At present I see you 
and D. lisping with pebbles in your mouths on the banks of 
the Cam. But I hope one day to hear your thunder from the 
rostrum. I hope to see you ' wielding at will' your awful as- 
semblies, and exciting them with a more than Demosthenic 
power to resist the invading foe, the New Philosophy. I 
hope to see you do more. In the more grateful and copious 
manner of the Roman orator, you will, like scribes well in- 
structed in the kingdom, bring forth things new and old to 
confirm the believing, convince the doubtful, and heal the 
wounded spirit ; ever displaying this your great and endless 
theme, the power of grace in awakening to life the torpid 
soul ; and, in your previous studies, ever sitting by the foun- 
tain of truth, <©■»>» />***-* 5r«3-ci/?, that 'fountain flowing with per- 
suasives,' the Bible : so will your orations have less of the 
lamp, and more of that heavenly fire, which alone can make 
them profitable to your hearers. 

" How astonished you will be that my first pages to you 
from Milton's 'remote Bengala' should be on such subjects 
as these ! You, no doubt, expected to hear 

Of moving accident, by flood, and field ; 
And of the cannibals that each other eat, 
The Anthropophagi— 

But I have not patience with all these subjects. " You must 
send out some of those fellows, who can write a tour through 
Wales, or Gogmagog Hills. They will so astonish you ! Be- 
sides I am not writing to freshmen. I am writing to the 
learned. And all the mirabilia I could describe to you are 
already described in Queen's college library. But I must 
make some allowance for the different effects of an absolute 
and a partial view of things. The truth is, that the traveller 
who sees new things every day, sees new things with indif- 
ference. The passion of curiosity is so constantly excited, 
that it loses its power. The ' nil admirarV seizes us much 
sooner with respect to objects of sense than objects of reflec- 
tion. Besides, where all is new, the mind knows not where 
to rest. It cannot embrace ail, and it studies none. This is 
particularly the case with many young men just arrived in 
India. They are wonder-struck ; they suffer a kind of mental 
paroxysm ; they ask questions for a while ; but they find 
there is no end of subjects of wonder ; and at length they are 
tired with wondering. The man of reflection will examine 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 95 

these subjects at his leisure, but the °* xcwoi would no longer 
wonder, if the moon were to fall ; they would suppose it was 
the way with the Bengal moons. 

" The most useful lesson I have learnt from travel is, that 
the world, or all that is in it, cannot satisfy the soul of man. 
Many years ago, my chief ambition, as you know, was to 
make the tour of Europe. But how little does this idea ap- 
pear ! As a village is the world to a child, so Europe was 
the world to me. But Europe is now become a village ; and 
the globe itself, which seems to have revolved under my eye, m 
has no longer its former extent, novelty, or importance. My 
ambition seeks now to explore new worlds. And were the" 
Deity to gratify my wish, and to permit me to traverse the 
planetary globes around us, yet how circumscribed would be 
my view, how limited my knowledge ! The solar system is 
but a point in the universe ! What then is natural know- 
ledge ? Like space it has no limit. Let us return then to 
our village, and view its inhabitant ; 

His knowledge suited to his state and place, 
His time, a moment ; and a point, his space. 

And this is equally true, whether you live but a few years, 
confined to your native spot, or live three ages, and traverse 
the world around. 

" This thought casts a transient gloom over science and all 
human knowledge. It is confined and uncertain, and there- 
fore unsatisfying. It is now that the mind turns with plea- 
sure from the works of God to his word. The works of God 
indeed declare his glory ; but the mind cannot comprehend 
them, nor be satisfied with surveying them. But the word of 
God quenches the thirst. It is that fountain which can alone 
satisfy the capacious soul of man. 

* •* * -# * 

" Infidelity raged here with great violence formerly, but it 
is rather on the defensive now. It was fashionable for a time 
to allege that oriental research w T as not favourable to the truth 
of Christianity ; but the contrary is found to be the case. As 
far as my own inquiries have gone, I can truly say, ' I have 
seen the star, and worshipped in the East.' In the study of 
eastern history and learning, there is endless proof of the 
truth of both the Old and New Testaments. 

m * * * 4 

" I suppose you have heard of the grandeur of English life 
in India. To live in the first circle in India is to live at court. 
There is nearly the same dignity of etiquette, elegance of 



96 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

equipage, and variety of entertainment Every lady is hand- 
ed to table according to her rank ; and — no grace is said. 

-What chiefly astonishes an Englishman (I should have 
said a Scotchman) is the profusion of meat on the tables. 
We sit down to hecatombaean fe rts. But you will not won- 
der at this, when you hear that the price of a sheep is but 
half-a-crown. We have no drinking here ; no Bacchanalian 
Wine is a drug". Wherevej we go, we expect to find 
what we have at home, plenty of claret and madeira ; and he 
who would think it a compliment to urge another to drink, 
would be accounted a vulgar fellow, just imported from a mi- 
litary mess-room, or a literary combination-room. 

'• Must I say something of the natives ? Their general 
character is imbecility of body, and imbecility of mind. Their 
moral powers are and have been for ages in a profound stupor; 
raid there is seldom an instance of their being awakened. A 
partial attempt, or rather experiment, is now making on them 
by some christian teachers. The Hindoo mind seems at pre- 
sent to be bound by a Satanic spell : and it will require the 
co-operation of a more than human power to break it. But 
divine co-operation implies human endeavour. Many ages 
must then elapse before the conversion of India is accom- 
plished. 

" Y\ ith respect to moral action, the Hindoos pay as little 
attention to their own religion as a rule of life, as the English 
do to theirs. Your profession of the christian religion is a 
proverbial jest throughout the world. 

" The Hindoo is born blind; but you put out your own 
eyes. Loose principles and sensual indulgence first dims 
them, and then the ' drop serene' of the new philosophy 
quenches the orb. 

" A residence in this country adds much to the personal dig- 
nity of the European. Here the labour of a multitude is 
demanded for the comfort of one : and it is not so much de- 
manded as voluntarily given. In no other country can we so 
well see the homage which matter gives to mind. Generally, 
however, it is but the homage which black pays to white. 
This is the grand argument for keeping the Hindoos in a state 
of mental depression. The hyperborean Scotchman, broiling 
under a perpendicular sun, needs some levamina lab o rum ; 
and the state of the Hindoo minds is admirably calculated to 
take care of our bodies. 

"You know the character of the Hindoo superstition. It 
is lascivious and bloody. I know no epithet that embraces so 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 97 

much of it as either of these two. Of the first I shall say 
nothing : 1 shall not pollute the page with a description of 
their caprine orgies in the interior of their temples, nor the 
emblems engraved on the exterior. 

" Their scenes of blood are not less revolting to the human 
mind. Human sacrifice is not quite abolished. The burning 
of women is common ; I have witnessed it more than once. 

" This power of self-sacrifice is given them from insensi- 
bility of mind, and from that alone. Just as a child may be 
persuaded to plunge into danger which infant reason cannot 
see, so the Hindoo, of childish capacity, is persuaded to de-* 
stroy his existence ; he views neither death nor life in their- 
true light. 

"All comparison, therefore, between the fortitude of the 

christian martyr and the madness of the Hindoo is nugatory 

and absurd. 

$ * * % & 

" What are your studies now ? They have long been gene- 
ral ; I hope they are now particular. I expect soon to see 
your name and D — 's to some useful publication. I pray you, 
support the author of the Pursuits of Literature in his work : 
you are both able. Only conceive some grand design, some 
one purpose; collect your powers to it, and you will execute 
it. You remember the Johnsonian aphorism: 'Whatever a 
man is able to conceive fully, he will by patience and labour 
execute well,' 

# •# ^ * $ 

"What is T — of Sidney doing? Does he reap the fruit 
of our Hebrew and Italian hours ? Has he published any 
thing since his Academical Contributions ? The metaphysical 
T — ! I never knew so grave a speculatist have such fine 
affections : but they had no object then. I was once afraid 
that he would prove to be of Godwin's school. But I can 
easily believe that his marriage has prevented it. Marriage 
and its accompanying joys and sorrows have cured many a 
theorist. 

" There is no harmony among the mental powers, no con- 
sistency of purpose, no solace in life, till the affections are 
moved. Some find another object to move them than mar- 
riage ; but rarely. Plato says that there are not many such 
objects. St. Paul says that there is one. 

?** vjc >f* *|£ vfc 

" I wish not to see any of you engage in general or specu- 
lative subjects at this time ; nor even in useful works, slow in 
operation. This is the moment for urgent and direct attack, 

I 



98 MEMOIRS OF DR. BVCHAXAV. 

We have had too many hooks of late, addressed to the Infidels 
in the style of alterative. In your academical laboratory have 
you not some * strong purgative drug to scour these French V 
M The troth is, we have acted too loner on the defensive : 

let us now act on the offensive. Infidelity cannot bear to be 
attacked. It can annoy by stratagem and Parthian dexterity : 
but it cannot show a resolute front. ■ Resist the devil, and he 
will flee from you !' — Keep close to the Greek \s of the 

Socratic and Apostolic school, and you may light a host of 
these lank sickly giants, forced by the compos: oi this vapour- 
ing age. 

44 Have you no MSS. of your own composition to send 
me ? I am desirous to see you. and I can't see you in a letter. 
I am anxious for your fame. I have seen you run the circle 
of the sciences with eclat. And I now wish to know what 
you are going to do," * * * 

Some hints in the preceding letter respecting marriage, as 
well as the general character ol Mr. Buchanan, lead us to ex- 
pect that he was by no means indifferent to that subject He 
had hitherto been too much occupied with study, and with his 
entrance upon his professional career, to indulge any thoughts 
respecting it ; but his affectionate and social disposition, and 
the comparative solitude in which he was died to live. 

convinced him of the expediency of entering into the married 
state. This important change in his condition took place on 
the 3rd of April. 1799 : on which day Mr. Buchanan married 
Miss Mary Whish, third daughter of the Rev. Richard 
Whish, then rector of Northwold in Norfolk. 

Upon this interesting event, it may be best to allow Mr. 
Buchanan to speak, as usual, for himself. He thus writes to 
Mr. Newton about two months after his marriage. 

•• Miss Mary Whish, and her elder sister." afterwards mar- 
ried to Major Prole.) "came out to India about rive months 
ago, with their aunt. Mrs. Sandys, wife of C Sandys. 

commissary of stores in Calcutta. The younger of these la- 
dies was so much disgusted with the dissipation o[ India, that 
she would gladly have returned single to England. I did not 
see her till two months after her arrival. But we had not been 
long acquainted before she confessed that she had found a 
friend who could reconcile her to India. I did not expect that 
I should have ever found in this country a young woman 
whom I could so much approve. Mrs. Buchanan is not yet 
nineteen. She has had a very proper education for roy wife. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAX. 99 

She has docility of disposition, sweetness of temper, and a 
strong passion for retired life. 

44 She is religious as far as her knowledge goes, and her 
knowledge is as great as I suppose yours or mine was at her 
age. Our marriage was sanctioned by the approbation of all 
who knew her, and who knew me. 

44 I have now been married two months, and every succes- 
sive day adds something to confirm the felicity of my choice, 
and the goodness of God in directing it. 

44 Mrs. Buchanan has read many of your letters to me, and 
hopes you will mention her name in your next. She is now 
reading the 4 Christian Character Exemplified,' published by 
you, and aspires to the spirit and piety of the lady whose cha- 
racter it is. 

44 1 still reside at Barrackpore, where it is now probable I 
shall remain some years. But I must take no thought for to- 
morrow. Years, days, and hours are not mine. Moments, 
how sacred !" 

In replying to some inquiries of his correspondent, Mr. 
Buchanan proceeds to mention, what in the prospect of con- 
tinuing at Barrackpore must have been peculiarly painful to 
him, that it was thought no chapel would be built there, under 
the new arrangement relative to that subject, as no European 
regiment was at any time ordered to that station. Under these 
circumstances he mentions that he was anxious to take every 
opportunity of assisting Mr. Brown at Calcutta; and adds, 
that he had successfully laboured to promote a good under- 
standing between him and his colleague, and to remove some 
prejudices which had previously existed against him and the 
ministrations at the mission church. He then continues as 
follows. 

44 You will have heard by this time the fate of the expedi- 
tion to Otaheite. The missionaries, banished by the natives, 
fled to Botany Bay. One of them, I hear, is lately arrived in 
Calcutta, from Port Jackson. I hope this south-sea scheme 
will not discourage the missionary societies. They have done 
no harm : and if they Bend out their next mission with less 
carnal eclat, and more Moravian diffidence, they may perhaps 
do some good. Their chief fault was in the selection of the 
men. It appears, that most of them were weak, and most of 
them novices. 

44 Lord Mornington is taking measures to send home all 
Frenchmen and republicans. I was applied to lately in a kind 
of official way, to give some account of the Baptist mission- 
aries. It was asked, What was their object? How support- 



MEMOIR? OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Whether they were not of republican principle? ! A- I 
had some good data I 8 ing favourably of Mr. 
confined myself to him. I stated the origin of the Tra; 
bar mission, and its sueeesi 6 ?.nz, and I repre^ 

Carev as endeavouring to do in Bengal wha; 9i Jid in the 

Deccan. He called upon me lately in hi- ( icutta. 

He considers himse. ing a seed, which haply may 

up and bear fruit. He is - *i n =T his translation of 
the scrip;;.::?. This is 2 good work. It will be useful to 
those Hindoos who are somewhat influenced by christian in- 
ion, and particul seful 1 Hindoo children brought 

up in christian schools. I told Mr. l y. that I thought he 
could not 1 m\ y his time better than in translating" the b 

I explained to him. from sc s Wi iiich he seem- 
ed unacquainted, the plan and p: giesfl of the Tamulian E 
tures, 2nd the circumstances attending the publication. 

•• And now. my dear Sir. pri . - 
care. I impr: Is.* 1 

The hint which Mr. Buchanan mggested in ding 

is ;o the too confident spirit with which some m;^ 
lans had been undertaken, ar the principal 

causes of their failure, will be generally icknc hedged to 
been dictated by the a m k si judgment. 

In the autumn of this year, Mr. Buchanan informed Mr. 
Grant that he had been recommended to accept a vacant chap- 
laincy at Bombay. "Being _ rnorant," says he, 

::" the particulars, I wrote to Mr. F ne accountant 

general there, [who Irishes me to go, explain fully to me 
the nature of the situation. I: it be the first chaplaincy to the 
Presidency. I shall accept i;." He adds : •• There is to be a 
relief of staff this ensuing November. Whethei I shall be 
included in it. I know no;." 

It is probable that Mr. Buchanan's inquiry respecting the 
chaplaincy at Bombay proved unsatisfactory. However this 
may have been, the providence : ! 1 : .: shortly afterwards in- 
troduced him to a sphere of labour in Calcutta, which 
equally adapted to his talents and Kris s sn. Towards the 

sc of the year. Lord Mornington appointed him a third chap- 
lain to the Presidency, and he immediately entered upon the 
duties of that office. 

One of the earlie- dons of public service, ;o which Mr. 

^nan was called after this appointmen;. wa - in Febrnaiy 

18 ) : when he preached a sermon at the new church, before 

Lord Mornington and the principal nffi 7 governm ent, 

on the day appointed for M 1 genera] thanksgiving, for the late 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 101 

signal successes obtained by the naval and military forces of his 
Majesty and of his allies ; and for the ultimate and happy 
establishment of the tranquillity and security of the British pos- 
sessions in India." 

This sermon was so highly approved, that Mr. Buchanan 
received the thanks of the Governor General in Council, with 
a direction that it should be printed ; and it was undoubtedly 
a production which well deserved that honour. It was founded 
on the 11th verse of the 21st Psalm ; M For they intended mis- 
chief against. Thee ; and imagined such a device, as they are 
not able to perform :" and contains a luminous and impressive 
view of the principles, progress, and effects of the new French 
philosophy, to which Mr. Buchanan justly attributed the awful 
struggle in which this country was then engaged. This im- 
portant subject has since received such ample discussion and 
illustration, that it is happilv no longer necessary to dwell upon 
it. The following passages from Mr. Buchanan's discourse 
may, however, with propriety be extracted, in proof of the 
ability and judgment, as well as the piety, of its author. 

" The contest in which our country has been so long en- 
gaged hath, in one particular, been of essential service to her, 
It hath excited a greater respect for christian institutions and 
christian principles. A long period of internal tranquillity and 
security had induced an indifference about religion, which was 
rapidly gaining ground, and was making room for that infi- 
delity which our enemies wished to substitute. But the cri- 
tical situation in which the nation was placed, and the dangers 
that threatened her, led men to review their principles, and to 
consider seriously by what means she might be saved. Hence 
there is now a growing regard for christian ordinances. There 
is now a more general acknowledgment of the providence of 
-God; more attention is paid to moral character; more care is 
taken in forming the minds of youth ; and more ample means 
of instruction are afforded to the common people. 

i; In the anxiety that prevails in the mother-country about 
the principles of all who are connected with her, she will na- 
turally be interested to know what is the state of religion 
amongst us, * How,' she will ask, ' amidst all this revolution 
of opinion and practice which agitates the world, is that distant 
society affected ? Are they altogether free from infidel prin- 
ciples ? And does the public spirit of the people show itself in 
combating these principles, and in maintaining a respect for 
christian institutions V 

" However this subject might have been overlooked in the 
infancy of our settlements, it becomes now a matter of public 

I 2 



102 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

consequence. The importance we are daily acquiring in the 
eyes of the world, and the destructive effects of irreligion in 
other countries, make it proper that we should show that we 
yet profess the faith of our country, and that we are yet willing 
to be accounted a christian community. 

44 On this subject we think there can be but one sentiment. 
Men of sense and of responsible situation, who love their coun- 
try, and who know the danger of the new principles, will not, 
we are persuaded, be averse to show this countenance to the 
christian religion* Such example is of the more consequence, 
on account of the great number of young persons who are yearly 
added to our society. These persons are denied those oppor- 
tunities of instruction they enjoyed at home ; and they arrive 
at so early an age, that, in general, their principles are formed 
and fixed here. And when it is considered that they are here- 
after to fill the offices in the government of the country, and 
are to be themselves the guardians of the public principles, it 
will certainly appear of consequence, that their minds should 
be impressed with a respect for those religious and moral ob- 
servances, on which the future safety and happiness of the coun- 
try depend." 

44 — Skepticism and infidelity are not now so well received 
in society as they once were. It was formerly thought a mark 
of superior understanding to profess infidelity. It was thought 
a proof of some learning to think differently from others on re- 
ligious subjects. 

M But we have now seen, that the most illiterate and most 
abandoned of the human race can be infidels. 

44 We have also seen, that there is no superstition more irra- 
tional in its effects, no fanaticism more degrading to the human 
mind, than the fanaticism of infidelity. 

44 We have further seen the moral effects of infidelity ; 
effects flowing directly from it, acknowledging no other source. 
And after what we have seen of these effects, we think no man 
can add to his respectability in society, either for understanding 
or for moral character, by avowing himself to be an advocate 
for infidelity." 

* 4 — But we trust that the great body of our society is yet 
animated by christian principles, and that they are ready to 
make common cause with their country in defending these prin- 
ciples to the uttermost. 

44 Some will doubt, and some will disbelieve, but it is an 
eternal truth, that the christian religion is the rock on which 
rests our existence as a civilized nation ; on which rest our 
social blessings, and our individual happiness. Take away 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 103 

this rock, and you give your country to convulsion and endless 
disgrace. Built on this rock, she hath withstood the violence 
of the storms that have so long assailed her. Secure and tran- 
quil in the midst of the tempest, she stands at this hour firm 
and impregnable, while those who built on the ' sands of infi- 
delity/ have been overthrown." 

Copies of Mr. Buchanan's thanksgiving sermon were dis- 
tributed by order of government in every part of British India, 
and sent home to the Directors of the East India Company. 

" You may easily conceive," says Mr. Buchanan, writing to 
a friend in England, well acquainted with the prevalence of 
skeptical principles at that period in India, "the astonishment 
of men at these religious proceedings. However, all was silence 
and decent acquiescence. It became fashionable to say, that 
religion was a very proper thing, that no civilized state could 
subsist without it ; and it was reckoned much the same thing to 
praise the French, as to praise infidelity." 

The importance of this public recognition of Christianity as 
the only basis of civil prosperity, was soon perceived in the in- 
creasing attention to personal religion. 

"Our christian society," adds Mr. Buchanan to the same 
friend, " flourishes. Merit is patronized, immoral characters 
are marked ; and young men of good inclinations have the best 
opportunities of improvement." 

The same happy effects were thus distinctly stated by Mr. 
Brown, in a memorial on the general state of society in Cal- 
cutta, drawn up some years afterwards, for the information of 
the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge. 

"These solemn acts," observes that excellent man, "and 
the public thanksgivings, which took place for the first time 
under Marquis "Wellesley's government, awakened a religious 
sense of things in many ; and led to an open and general ac- 
knowledgment of the divine Providence, which has been highly 
beneficial to the interests of true religion and virtue." 

On Mr. Buchanan's removal to Calcutta, he thus resumed 
the account of his studies and proceedings, in a letter to Mr. 
Henry Thornton. 

" The plan of study I formed about two years and a half ago 
has not suffered any material alteration since. I soon, how- 
ever, discovered the small value of the Persian and Hindostanee 
languages to me, and was contented with a superficial acquaint- 
ance with them. My scriptural studies I pursue with my first 
purpose, and I hope I shall continue to pursue them to the day 
of my death. My general studies have been much diversified 
by correspondence in different parts of India, on subjects clas- 



104 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

sical, mathematical, and theological. The latter has been the 
most laborious and generally the most pleasant. This sub- 
ject is often forced upon me. But I have seldom permitted 
myself to defend Christianity. I have usually acted on the 
offensive, and attacked infidelity. This is a verv unpleasant 
mode to the infidel. Daring the last year I received many 
anonymous letters, particularly from young persons, on pole- 
mical divinity ; but the correspondence has generally ended in 
real mines. In consequence, I am often applied to for books, 
and have expended much in purchasing valuable works at our 
dear market. Small religious tracts are of little service to those 
with whom I have to do. 

" My public ministrations have been rare, but perhaps not so 
rare as from my situation might be expected. Of the three 
years I have been in India, including the number of times I 
have officiated at the hospital in Calcutta, and in my own 
house at Barrackpore, I have preached on an average once a 
fortnight. 

ii .My great affliction since I came to India has been bad 
health. I feel a languor of constitution, and a difficulty of res- 
piration, which no medical aid has yet been able to remove. 
This I sometimes think has taken away one-half of the energy 
and usefulness I might have preserved or acquired in a cooler 
region. But this also is the dispensation of God; and it has 
added to me that, which elsewhere I might not have found." 

In a letter, however, to Mr. Newton, about the same time. 
Mr. Buchanan observes, " I have enjoyed better health this 
year than in any former : and I trust that I shall be strengthen- 
ed and spared for some service." 

During the tirst six months of the year 1S00. the plan of a 
collegiate institution had been formed by Lord Mornington, 
(who. in consequence of the splendid successes of his policy in 
the Mysore, had been created Marquis Wellesley,) for the pur- 
pose of promoting the literary improvement of the younger civil 
servants of the Company. This important measure, in the 
arrangement and conduct of which Mr. Buchanan was so essen- 
tially concerned, he thus mentioned in the month of June in a 
letter to Mr. Grant. 

M Lord Wellesley is at present engaged in founding a col- 
lege for the instruction of the young civil servants in eastern 
literature and general learning He desired me to draw out a 
sketch of the constitution of the college, which I did. And 
now Mr. Barlow has instructed me to draw up a minute as a 
justification of the measure. Lord Wellesley proposes that 
Mr. Brown should be the Provost of the college ; and he is 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 105 

certainly the fittest man in Calcutta for that office. I had him 
lift my mind when drawing up the duties of Provost. There 
will be about eight or ten professors. No promotion in the 
service, but through the medium of this institution. The stu- 
dents to remain at college for three or five years. Prizes and 
honours to be proposed for those who distinguish themselves, 
and degrees to be taken to qualify for certain offices.' ' 

Some allusion is made to the subject introduced in the pre- 
ceding extract in the two following letters from Mrs. Buchanan, 
which, as they exhibit a pleasing and faithful picture of a most 
amiable woman, very early removed from this world, it may 
not be uninteresting to insert, before we proceed to a more en- 
larged view of the college of Fort William. 

The first is addressed to Mr. Newton, and is dated Calcutta, 
24th June, 1800. 

" Dear Sir, — Mr. Buchanan assures me that you will excuse 
the liberty I take in writing to you. I have long wished to ac- 
knowledge the debt I owe you for your valuable works. They 
have been blessed to many, and I trust will be also blessed to 
me. But I believe I am still more indebted to you as the friend, 
father, and instructor of my beloved husband ; as such, I must 
consider you as the instrument, under God, of my present 
happiness. 

You will be glad to hear that Mr. B.'s health is of late much 
improved ; but I am alarmed lest his approaching labours 
should be too much for him. We have reason to believe that 
he will be appointed a professor in the new college. He him- 
self wishes to decline it, but his friends do not see how it is 
possible, as he has taken an active part in the institution. It is 
supposed that he may have his choice of three professorships, 
classics, mathematics, or the belles-lettres. I believe his inten- 
tion is to accept of a situation in college, if it be easy; but if 
not, to decline it on the plea of health. 

" Dear sir, I cannot expect to see you in this world ; may I 
therefore request you to send your blessing to me and my little 
girl. 

" I desire my love to your niece, and remain, my dear sir, 
yours, with christian affection, Mary Buchanan." 

The second of these letters is to Mr. Elliott ; and while it 
expresses with equal simplicity the advancing piety of her own 
mind, it recognizes the support which Lord Wellesley was 
then affording to religion in Calcutta. It is of the same date 
with the former. 



106 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Dear Sir, — Your letter to Mr. Buchanan, in which you 
mention our marriage, gave me real pleasure. And as you ex- 
pressed a wish that I should write to you, 1 take this opportu- 
nity to thank you for your affectionate congratulations. You 
have reason indeed to congratulate me. It is the happiest cir- 
cumstance in my life, that I ever came to India ; where I have 
heen united to one whose endeavours God has been pleased to 
bless, in leading me to some knowledge of the everlasting gos- 
pel. It is a new gospel to me, and I seem to live in a new 
world, differing far more from my old world, than India differs 
from England. May I request your prayers, that this good 
work may be carried on in my heart, and that it may issue in 
honour to my beloved husband, and to his ministry here ? He 
has much to encourage him in the work of the gospel. There 
is an evident change in the face of the society here, even in 
the short time since I arrived in the country. Lord Wellesley 
seems inclined to support the christian religion by every means. 
Vital religion also is increasing. It seems to be fostered under 
the wing of that general sanction to Christianity which has 
lately been given. This is the only place in India where reli- 
gion is countenanced. We have now many respectable fami- 
lies here in which piety meets with real encouragement. I 
remain, dear sir, yours, with much esteem, 

Mary Buchanan.' ' 

By the despatch which conveyed the two preceding letters, 
Mr. Buchanan sent another remittance to his mother, to the 
comfort of whose declining years he was afterwards enabled 
still more largely to contribute. 

On the 18th of August, 1800, the college of Fort William, 
which had been virtually in operation since the 4th of May, 
was formally established by a minute in council,* in which the 
Governor General detailed at length his reasons for such an in- 
stitution. The important part which Mr. Buchanan took in 
the formation and subsequent conduct of that establishment 
will sufficiently justify the following brief abstract of the able 
and interesting document referred to. 

The British possessions in India, said his Lordship, now 
constitute one of the most extensive and populous empires in 
the world. The immediate administration of the government 
of the various provinces and nations composing this empire, is 
principally confided to the European civil servants of the East 



\ 



*See "The College of Fort William, in Bengal," published by Mr, Bu- 
chanan in 1805. 



MEMOIRS Of DR. BUCHANAN. 107 

India Company. Upon them, in consequence, devolve the 
duties of dispensing justice to millions of people of various 
languages, manners, usages, and religions ; of administering a 
vast and complicated system of revenue throughout districts, 
equal in extent to some of the most considerable kingdoms in 
Europe; and of maintaining civil order in one of the most 
populous and litigous regions of the world. They can, there- 
fore, no longer be considered as the agents of a commercial 
concern ; they are, in fact, the ministers and officers of a pow- 
erful sovereign, and must be viewed in that capacity, with a 
reference, not to their nominal, but to their real occupations. 
Their education should consequently be founded in a general 
knowledge of those branches of literature and science which 
form the basis of the education of persons destined to similar 
offices in Europe. To this foundation should be added an in- 
timate acquaintance with the history, languages, customs, and 
manners of the people of India, with the Mohammedan and 
Hindoo codes of law and religion, and with the political inter- 
ests and relations of Great Britain in Asia. They should be 
regularly instructed in the principles and system w r hich consti- 
tute the foundation of that wise code of regulations and laws 
enacted by the Governor General in council, for the purpose of 
securing to the people of this empire the benefit of the ancient 
and established laws of the country, administered in the spirit 
of the British constitution. Finally, their early habits should 
be so formed, as to establish in their minds such solid founda- 
tions of industry, prudence, integrity, and religion, as should 
effectually guard them against those temptations and corrup- 
tions with which the nature of the climate, and the peculiar 
depravity of the people of India, will surround and assail them 
in every station, especially upon their first arrival in India. 
The early discipline of the service should be calculated to 
counteract the defects of the climate and the vices of the peo- 
ple, and to form a natural barrier against habitual indolence, 
dissipation, and licentious indulgence: the spirit of emulation 
in honourable and useful pursuits should be kindled and kept 
alive by the continual prospect of distinction and reward, of 
profit and honour ; nor should any precaution be relaxed in 
India which is deemed necessary in England, to furnish a suf- 
ficient supply of men, qualified to fill the high offices of the 
state, with credit to themselves, and with advantage to the 
public. 

It would be unnecessary, continued Lord Wellesley, in the 
document referred to, to enter into any examination of facts, 
to prove that no system of education, study, or discipline now 



108 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

exists, either in Europe or in India, founded on the principles, 
or directed to the objects, before described. His Lordship, 
however, proceeded to review the course through which the 
junior civil servants of the East India Company then entered 
upon the important duties of their respective stations ; and the 
result of this examination tended to prove, that the actual state 
of the Company's civil service in India was far removed from 
perfection or efficiency, and that the cause of this defect was 
to be found principally, if not exclusively, in the imperfect 
education of the junior civil servants, and in the insufficient 
discipline of the early stages of the service. 

In reply to the general argument, which might be adduced 
to disprove the necessity of any new institution, on the ground 
that the service of the East India Company had, through a 
long period of years, always furnished men equal to the exi- 
gency of the occasion, it was contended, that extraordinary 
combinations of human affairs, wars, revolutions, and all those 
unusual events which form the marked features and prominent 
characters of the history of mankind, naturally bring to light 
talents and exertions adapted to such emergencies. But that 
it must never be forgotten, that the successive efforts of the 
personages thus raised up, and the final result of various revo- 
lutions and wars, had imposed upon the East India Company 
the arduous and sacred trust of governing a great empire ; that 
duty, policy, and honour required that it should not be admi- 
nistered as a temporary and precarious acquisition, but as a 
permanent succession ; and that in this view its internal govern- 
ment should not be left to depend on the success of individual 
or accidental merit, struggling against the defects of established 
institutions; but should be so ordered as to secure a constant, 
steady, and regular supply of able magistrates, wise and ho- 
nest judges, and skilful statesmen, properly qualified to con- 
duct the ordinary movements of its administration. 

An additional motive for such an institution as was then 
meditated, was derived from the acknowledged fact, that at this 
period the erroneous and pestilent principles of the French 
revolutionary school had reached the minds of some indivi- 
duals in the service of the company in India ; and that the state, 
as well of political as religious opinions, had been in some de- 
gree unsettled. An institution, therefore, tending to fix and 
establish sound and correct principles of religion and govern- 
ment in the minds of the junior servants of the Company at 
an early period of life, was the best security that could be pro- 
vided for the stability of the British power in India. 

After discussing the practicability of forming any adequate 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 109 

establishment in England for the purpose of duly educating 
such a body of men as had been described, and determining 
that it could not be obtained otherwise than in India, the Go- 
vernor General concluded by declaring, that a college was by 
this minute in council founded at Fort William, for the better 
instruction of the junior civil servants of the Company in such 
branches of literature, science, and knowledge, as might be 
deemed necessary to qualify them for the discharge of the du- 
ties of the different offices constituted for the administration of 
the government of the British possessions in the East Indies. 

The general reasons upon which the Marquis Wellesley * 
proceeded in the formation of this important institution, must . 
be admitted to be characterized by the soundest views of a li- 
beral and enlightened policy. Whatever difference of opinion 
may exist as to the extent or detailed arrangement of the estab- 
lishment, there can scarcely be any as to the principles upon 
which it was founded. The success, too, of the institution, as 
will be hereafter seen, fully justified the wisdom of the original 
plan, and reflects the highest honour on its distinguished 
author, 

The immediate government of the college was vested in a 
Provost and Vice-Provost, and three other officers, to whose 
notice every part of the private conduct of the students, their 
expenses, their connexions, their manners, and morals, were to 
be subject. Professorships were established in the languages 
chiefly spoken and used in the different provinces of India, in 
Hindoo and Mohammedan law, in the regulations and law r s 
enacted at the several presidencies for the civil government of 
the British territories, in political economy, and particularly 
the commercial institutions and interests of the East India 
Company, and in various branches of literature and science. 
There was also to be a considerable establishment of learned 
natives attached to the college ; some of whom w T ere to be em- 
ployed in teaching the students, others in making translations, 
and others in composing original works in the oriental tongues. 

The excitements to exertion in the college of Fort William 
were of the highest and most effective nature ; and its moral, 
economical, and religious discipline, such as was admirably 
calculated to promote all that is virtuous, dignified, and useful 
in civil society. This latter most important branch of the in- 
stitution w T as, in an especial manner, confided to the Provost 
and Vice-Provost, who were thus honourably introduced to the 
public notice by its noble founder. 

" Fortunately," observes his lordship, " for the objects of 
the institution, the Governor General has found at Calcutta two 

K 



110 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

clergymen of the Church of England, eminently qualified to 
discharge the duties of Provost and Vice-Provost. To the 
former office he has appointed Mr. Brown, the Company's 
first chaplain, and to the latter, Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Brown's 
character must be well known in England, and particularly so 
to some members of the Court of Directors ; it is in every re- 
spect such as to satisfy the Governor General that his views, 
in this nomination, will not be disappointed. He has also formed 
the highest expectations from the abilities, learning, temper, 
and morals of Mr. Buchanan, whose character is also well 
known in England, and particularly to Dr. Porteus, Bishop of 
London, and to Dr. Milner, Master of Queen's College in the 
University of Cambridge." 

A body of statutes was afterwards compiled and promulgated 
by Marquis Wellesley, which regulated the admission of stu- 
dents and professors, the lectures, exercises, examinations, and 
public disputations, and every other branch of the college bu- 
siness. The office of the Provost, and, virtually, of the Vice- 
Provost, was expressed in the following terms. 

44 It shall be the peculiar province and sacred duty of the 
Provost governing the college at Fort William, to guard the 
moral and religious interests of the institution, and vigilantly 
to superintend the conduct and principles of all its members. 

" Divine service shall be performed in the college chapel at 
such times as the Provost shall appoint." 

Provision was also made by the statutes for applying the in- 
ternal authority of the superior officers of the college, to 
strengthen and confirm within our eastern possessions the at- 
tachment of the civil servants of the Company to the laws and 
constitution of Great Britain, and to maintain and uphold the 
christian religion in that quarter of the globe. 

Of the formation of the preceding institution, and of seve- 
ral additional particulars respecting it, Mr. Buchanan wrote to 
Mr. Grant a few days after the date of Lord Wellesley's mi- 
nute in council, on his way to Prince of Wales' Island, where 
he stayed about a month, for the benefit of Mrs. Buchanan's 
health, which was already beginning to be impaired. 

"Sauger Roads, 23d Aug. 1800. 
" Dear Sir, — We have no news at present but what relates 
to the new college, which is now founded. It consists of a 
Provost, Vice-Provost, and Professors. All the writers, and 
some of the cadets, (the learned and well-recommended,) are 
admitted to the benefits of the institution. A building for the 
college, to contain two hundred students, is to be immediately 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. Ill 

erected in Garden Reach, together with a chapel, hall, &c. 
Mr. Speke's house, and Mr. Cowper's, will form part of the 
college; being intended for the principal officers. In the mean- 
time, a range of large houses in Calcutta is taken for present 
use, not far from the writers' buildings. Mr. Brown is appoint- 
ed Provost of the college. His duties are to receive the young 
men on their arrival, and to be their official friend. I have 
been appointed Vice-Provost. His duties are very laborious. 
When I planned them, I little thought I should be called to 
execute them. He is the censor morum, and arbiter of offi- 
cial and personal proprieties in college." 

Mr. Buchanan next inserts a list of the professors already - 
appointed ; in which his own name appears as Professor of 
Greek, Latin, and English classics. He then continues as 
follows : 

"The college council, or caput, consists of Provost, Vice- 
Provost, and Messrs. Barlow, Kirkpatrick, and Edmonstone. 

" A public table to be established for the students. Their 
moonshees to be attached to the college. No student in debt 
to be admitted to the college, or to have promotion in service 
afterwards. Means are to be taken to pay off the debts of 
many students, in the first instance. The discipline is to be 
most rigid. Rewards and honours to the deserving, very libe- 
ral. Notwithstanding the expense to government of support- 
ing table, moonshees, &c. the students are to have their three 
hundred rupees a month, in full. 

"By this institution, two hundred students, the whole gene- 
ration of English India, will be put, in some degree, under the 
direction of Mr. Brown and myself. 

w Lectures will probably commence on the first of Novem- 
ber, 1800. Four terms in a year of two months, and four va- 
cations of one month. 

" I mention the foregoing particulars at this time, because 
they may, perhaps, have some influence on yourself or friends, 
who may be thinking of sending their sons to India." 

This last observation of Mr. Buchanan, which evidently 
points at the security to be afforded by the new establishment 
to the moral and religious principles and habits of the students, 
derives strength from the following striking passage in the ori- 
ginal minute of Lord Wellesley. 

"This institution," said his lordship, " will be best appre- 
ciated by every affectionate parent in the hour of separation 
from his child, destined to the public service in India. Let 
any parent, (especially if he has himself passed through the 
Company's service in India,) declare whether the prospect of 



112 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

this institution has aggravated or mitigated the solicitude of 
that painful hour ; whether it has raised additional doubts and 
fears, or inspired a more lively hope of the honourable and 
prosperous service, of the early and fortunate return of his 
child." 

It may perhaps afford a still more clear and interesting view 
of the actual plan of the college of Fort William, if we sub- 
join the two following letters from Mr. Buchanan to the young 
friend who has been already mentioned as enjoying his confi- 
dential correspondence. ■ 

" Calcutta, 1st Nov. 1800. 

" My dear Friend, — Yours of the 27th October I have just 
received. I dare not advise with respect to the college. Some 
gentlemen have taken advantage of the regulation, and some 
declined it. Some are satisfied that the college will promote 
their interests ; and some are satisfied that it will hurt them. 
Unless you are sure that you ought to come, and therefore 
come with a good will and ardent hopes, I would rather you 
would not come ; for unless you distinguish yourself in some 
degree for your attention, success in study, and moral conduct, 
it would have been better for you that you had never seen the 
college at all. Eecollect there will be nearly one hundred and 
thirty students, fifty of whom are now in Calcutta applying 
themselves closely to their studies. 

" With respect to your college life, it will be what you make 
it. To some it will be very irksome, to others perfect free- 
dom. So large a body must be governed by statutes, and these 
statutes shall be strictly enforced ; but the whole institution is 
built on liberal principles ; intended for gentlemen, for grown 
gentlemen, for men who enter it with the purpose of attaining 
to a certain object; and who are therefore willing to sacrifice 
something to the general good, as well as their own ultimate 
advantage. 

"Mrs. Buchanan joins me in best regards to you and Mr. 
Darell, and I am very sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 

« To W. P. Elliott, Esq., Malda." 

To the same. 

" My dear Friend, — Your letter of the 7th, mentioning your 
purpose of coming to college, I have just received. Whether 
you have done right I shall be able to tell you in about a year 
hence ; not sooner. So entirely does it depend on yourself. 

" Before you obtain your qualifying degree in the college at 
Fort William to serve the Company, you must hold four pub- 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 113 

lie disputations in the Persian or Bengalee languages, once as 
respondent, and thrice as opponent. As respondent, you are 
to defend a proposition given by yourself on a moral, literary, 
or historical subject, or concerning oriental manners and cus- 
toms, against the objections of any three opponents who may 
be appointed. You are first to pronounce an essay on your 
subject, and then begin to defend it extempore, in classical 
Persian, against the meditated objections of your opponents ; 
and this in public, before all Calcutta, and before all the na- 
tives of rank and learning, rajahs, pundits, moulvies, and 
moonshees ; — an august tribunal ! 

"You are also to recite in public, at six different times, six, 
essays or declamations composed by yourself on subjects 
which shall be given you, in the English language. Every 
student who takes a degree at Fort William must give proofs 
of his being a classical English scholar ; and a practical one. 

" Ex pede Herculem. Here is a ploughshare or two of your 
college ordeah Be not surprised, then, that I did not urge 
your coming. Here there is room for honour, and also for 
disgrace. 

" As for the number of horses you wish to bring down,— 
* consider what hath been said.' 

" You and all of your year will have quarters in the Wri- 
ters' Buildings ; two in a house. There is no choice. Mr. 
Barlow will place you where there is a vacancy on your ar- 
rival. 

" You will not be called down for a considerable time ; and 
I suppose will see little of cavalry exercise this year. 

*' Yours very sincerely, C. Buchanan." 

^Calcutta, 17th Nov. 1800." 

In order to complete the specimen which has just been 
given of the views with which the younger servants of the 
Company entered the college of Fort William, it may not be 
improper to add the following extract of a letter from Mr. W. 
Elliott to one of his friends, who was then deliberating as to 
his own determination. 

" Malda, December 14, 1800. 
" — Not to detain you longer from the subject of your letter, 
I will state to you the reasons which induce me to enter the 
college. 

" 1 must confess to you that I sacrifice considerable present 
advantages ; but if I may judge from all that Lord Wellesley 
has hitherto done, he is far too generous to allow us to sustain 

K3 



114 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

any loss which he will not make up on our leaving college. I 
say this on the supposition that he will continue so long in the 
government. If he does not. I shall still have the satisfaction 
of knowing myself qualified for any situation whatever. 

u As the opportunities ol information now offered are many, 
the examination of those who decline them will he propor- 
tionally strict : nor do I think myself qualified, or that I could 
qualify myself in this jungle, for any situation other than lhal 
of a commercial resident. 

•• As it is not my present intention to accept any thing less 
than a good residency, you will not be surprised that I de- 
vote two years and a half to improve mvself in the languages, 
and in whatever else is to be taught in the college ; at the end 
of which time. I shall not have been more than live years and 
a half in the country. Besides. I think it a most dangerous 
experiment to decline entering the college. We have nothing 
so much to dread as the being set aside, or not thought o\^ 
when any appointment of trust becomes vacant: which will 
in my opinion certainly be the case with those who thus act. 

"I am. moreover, one of those eccentric beings, who think 
that knowledge and information cannot be purchased at too dear 
a rate : and 1 do expect, from the known abilities of my friend 
Mr. Buchanan, and some of the other professors, not only to 
attain the immediate object which I have in view, a knowledge 
of the languages, and of my duty as a servant o{ the Com- 
pany, but also improvement in those political studies which no 
gentleman should be ignorant of. Our education has not left 
us wholly uninformed on these subjects : but the early age at 
which we left England must have prevented our obtaining that 
degree of knowledge requisite for sustaining with eclat the 
rank in life which we hope to rill on our return home. Mr. 
Brown, the Provost, wrote to me, that the advantages of the 
college were so palpable, and the danger in declining it so 
great, that I could not reasonably hesitate on the subject." 

The appointment of the superior officers of the college was 
notified in a Calcutta gazette extraordinary on the 20ih of Sep- 
tember, 1800, though they were not formally admitted to their 
offices till the 24th of April following. Towards the close of 
the former year, an advertisement was published in different 
parts of India, announcing the establishment of the college, 
and inviting men of learning and knowledge, moulvies, pun- 
dits, and moonshees, to Calcutta, for the purpose of submit- 
ting to an examination with a view to the choice of some as 
teachers in the college. About fifty natives, and subsequently 
a larger number, were in consequence attached to it. 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 115 

Lectures in the Arabic, Hindostanee, and Persian languages, 
commenced in the month of November, 1800 ; and the first 
regular term opened on the 6th of February following. 



CHAPTER II. 

With the commencement of the year 1801, Mr. Buchanan 
entered upon his important and laborious duties as Vice-Pro- 
vost and Professor of Classics in the college of Fort William. 
His health and spirits had hitherto been more or less depress- 
ed ; nor was the former likely to be improved by the various 
weighty engagements which now devolved upon him. A 
work, however, had at length been assigned to him, both in 
the college, and as one of the chaplains of the Presidency; 
which, while it demanded his utmost talents and exertions, 
deeply interested his feelings, and animated him with the hope 
of becoming extensively useful in India. Early in this year 
he thus wrote to Mr. Grant. 

" Since my last to you, dated Kedgeree, when I was going 
to sea, nothing of importance has occurred here. The regu- 
lation concerning the college has been carried into effect, and 
the institution has already acquired energy and tranquillity. 
We have about an hundred students ; the greater part of whom 
promise to distinguish themselves. There are as remarkable 
instances of application here, as I have known at Cambridge. 

" Both the churches are generally full, particularly in the 
cold weather. The college chapel has punkas, which will 
probably draw a great number of the townspeople during the 
hot season. Lord Wellesley has fitted up a pew for himself 
in chapel. 

" Mr. Obeck breakfasted with Mrs. Buchanan this morning, 
and pleased her much with the account he gave of you and 
your family for a series of years in this country. The old 
man still retains his faculties in vigour, and is strong in body. 
His office at present is the distribution of four or five hundred 
rupees a month to the poor. The cold meat of college sup- 
ports a great number of poor Portuguese and English." 

On the 16th and 18th of the same month, Mr. Buchanan 
again wrote to Mr. Grant. The following are extracts from 
his letters. 

" While we remained at Penang, Sir George Leith, the 
Governor, stated to me the want of a chaplain on the island. 
I have since represented it to Lord Wellesley, who said he 



116 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

would mention the subject to the Court of Directors. Lord 
W. allows one hundred dollars a month for a lay-chaplain. 
Perhaps you might effect an appointment of a regular chaplain 
at two hundred dollars more." 

44 Lord W. has had serious thoughts of building a larger 
church. But the college institution has deranged his plans a 
little. If you cannot give us a new church at present, we 
shall (hank you for a clock and bell ; and also for a singing 
man and organist. The charity boys sing in the two churches 
and in the college chapel every Sunday. And there are or- 
gans in each, but only one organist. 

44 Some of the college students have already made most dis- 
tinguished proficiency in the oriental languages. By the statutes 
they must be able to hold public disputations in these languages 
on a given subject. Ten of the first proficients go out the first 
year, and twenty the second. The spirit of emulation, of in- 
terest, and of fame, is excited in a very remarkable degree. No 
impropriety of conduct is known. All is silence, and study. 
and decorum. They all dine in the college hall, in the pre- 
sence of the professors. 

44 There are some instances of a serious spirit of religious 
inquiry among the students. 

44 Lord Wellesley wants some persons of distinguished 
ability in science and classics to superintend in college, and 
thinks, properly, that they should, if possible, be clerical men. 
He has asked me for names, and I have mentioned those of 
several wranglers and medallists, which, he says, he will send 
to Mr. Dundas. Two or three of them promised once to do 
honour to their profession. 

* ; Mr. Brown is in a precarious state of health at present ; 
and I have never been strong. No such field is any where to 
be found for learning and piety, as that which Calcutta at this 
time exhibits. 

44 Sir Alured Clarke has just left us. He is entitled to the 
thanks of your Court for his attention to divine service, and for 
the general good example he has set to your settlement here." 

In his next letter to Mr. Grant, Mr. Buchanan had the plea- 
sure of introducing to him one of his earliest friends, Mr. Alex- 
ander Campbell, the second officer of the Walsingham East In- 
diaman, and afterwards commander of the United Kingdom. 

44 He was once," says Mr. Buchanan, 44 a pupil of mine, 
when I was fourteen, and he was ten years of age. He is the 
son of a respectable family ; and though he was formerly gay, 

* A chaplain has since been appointed to the island. 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 117 

he is now more steady, and has had opportunities lately of 
seeing great changes of heart in those around him. He was," 
and it was surely a singular coincidence, " fourth officer of the 
Busbridge, which brought me to India. I do not know what 
you can do for him, farther than by recommending him as an 
active and intelligent officer, which he is. He does not much 
like the sea, and would gladly retire to a quiet and certain situa- 
tion. But I have advised him to continue in his present line, 
and to maintain his activity and integrity before all men. 

" General Lake is just arrived. He and his family were at 
church yesterday." 

In the month of June following, Mr. Buchanan thus resumes- 
his account of the two subjects of Indian intelligence most in- 
teresting to himself, the church and the college, in a letter to 
Mr. Grant, and announces Mrs. Buchanan's approaching return 
to England. 

" Our church continues in much the same state in which I 
described it to be in my last. We have had an addition of 
some communicants, chiefly from college. The church thins a 
little always in the hot months of May and June. Lord W. has 
proposed to use punkas and tatties ; and it is probable that we 
shall have recourse to them next season. 

" The college still goes on with spirit and energy. Some 
of the students will leave it, and enter on the service in Decem- 
ber 1801 (this year.) I see clearly that all our future profes- 
sors and examiners will be taken from among those who have 
been students. It is with the greatest difficulty that we can find 
in the whole service examiners in the various languages, who 
have confidence to face the students. So that we have been 
obliged to take our examiners from among the professors, which 
is rather contrary to the statutes." 

Mr. Buchanan appears to have detained this letter till after 
the 3d of July, on which day the first public examination of the 
college students took place. The name of his young friend, 
Mr. William Elliott, appeared at the head of the first class in 
the Persian and Hindostanee languages, and in Nagree writing, 
and in the first class of Arabic. Mr. Buchanan speaks also of 
the good conduct and distinguished proficiency in the languages, 
of some other young men, as being above all praise. He then 
adverts to the health of Mrs. Buchanan, who since her return 
from Pulo Penang had experienced a return of her consump- 
tive complaint, which made it necessary for her to try the effect 
of her native air. " Should her health," he adds, " be restored, 
she will return to India, after a short residence with her family." 

Accordingly on the 25th of July, 1801, Mrs. Buchanan em- 



118 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

barked for England, taking with her their eldest daughter, 
Charlotte, and leaving the youngest, Augusta, then not quite 
six months old, with Mr. Buchanan. Her voyage was stormy, 
and otherwise perilous and painful , but she reached her native 
country in safety on the 18th of February, 1802. 

She was the bearer of a letter to one of Mr. Buchanan's 
friends, in which he mentions that the regular attendance of 
the greater number of the students on divine worship, and still 
more decisive proofs of serious impressions amongst them, had 
given him new ardour and new hopes, that the college of Fort 
William would prove a religious as well as a literary institution 
to many of them. 

Mr. Buchanan then observes in reply to a suggestion of his 
correspondent, whether he might not have attempted to preach 
to the Hindoos, that independently of various other impedi- 
ments, it was inconsistent with the rules prescribed to him as a 
chaplain of the Company ;* but that, although he had not con- 
verted any natives, he had been honoured as the instrument of 
the conversion of souls in India, and had seen some of them die 
in the faith. 

The friend to whom Mr. Buchanan was writing had also 
hinted that some of his English correspondents were disap- 
pointed at so seldom hearing from him. To this he thus satis- 
factorily replies. 

" I had such a numerous body of friends and acquaintances, 
literary and religious, in Scotland and in England, that I found 
itw r as in vain to attempt a correspondence with them all in my 
infirm state of health. I have therefore scarcely written to any 
one, but to yourself, Mr. Newton, and Mr. Grant. I have less 
time now than ever; and even my letters to you will be less 
frequent. The chief labour of the churches is devolving fast 
upon me. My religious correspondence in India is greater 
than at any former time. The whole direction of the college 
lies with me ; every paper is drawn up by me ; and every thing 
that is printed is revised by me. In addition to this, I give 
Greek and Latin lectures four days in the week during term ; 
and I must visit and receive visits on an average twice a day. 

" You desired me to say something in self-defence, else I 
should not have given you the above. I am yet an unprofitable 
servant, very unworthy the lowest place in my Master's vine- 
yard ; and I am supported chiefly at times by the feeble hope 

* It must be remembered, that a considerable change with respect to religion 
lias taken place in India since the period to which this observation refers, and 
that what was then a subject of the most jealous suspicion, is now regarded with 
more liberal and christian feelings. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 119 

that the Lord, who works by any means, will be pleased to 
work even by me." 

From the time that Mr. Buchanan removed to the Presidency, 
he generally preached at one or other of the churches in Cal- 
cutta once, and sometimes twice, on the Sunday. It appears 
also from a book of memoranda, in which he briefly noticed 
his engagements during the five most active years of his resi- 
dence in India, that he occasionally preached the weekly even- 
ing lecture, which had been established by Mr. Brown. In 
writing to a friend at Cambridge, Mr. Buchanan observed, that, 
the congregations at the new church were more numerous* 
than those at St. Mary's, more elegant, equally critical, and' 
perhaps not less intelligent. To address such audiences with 
acceptance and effect must consequently have demanded much 
laborious preparation. At the mission church the congregations 
were chiefly composed of those who simply sought christian in- 
struction and edification. 

Of the general tenor of his discourses at both places, some 
idea may be formed from the preceding view of his character 
and sentiments. A few notices of the subjects of his preaching 
occur amongst the memoranda just referred to. The following 
are some of them. "The inward witness to Christianity," 
from 1 John v. 10. " The barren fig-tree," at the close of the 
year 1801. "In Adam all die," on the Easter following. 
" The second Adam." " Jairus." " On Knowledge." " "We 
preach Christ crucified." " The second advent." "Abraham 
seeking a country." " St. Paul at Athens." " If then ye be 
risen with Christ, seek those things which are above." These 
are but scanty memorials of Mr. Buchanan's labours in Calcutta 
as a preacher. Some specimens, however, of his sermons w r ill 
hereafter be adduced. 

Scarcely more numerous or detailed traces remain of the 
other great branch of his employment, as Vice-Provost and 
Classical Professor in the college of Fort William. Although 
Mr. Brown, as the senior chaplain of the Presidency, accepted 
the office of Provost, and in both capacities was zealous and 
indefatigable in his endeavours to promote the interests of re- 
ligion in Calcutta, the superintendence and practical govern- 
ment of the college rested upon Mr. Buchanan. Occasional 
notices occur in these imperfect records, of the books in 
which he lectured during different terms, as well as of his 



* Some estimate may be formed of their numbers by a note of Mr. Buchanan'* 
on Christmas day 1801, from which it appears, that two hundred communicants 
had attended that day at the administration of the Lord's supper. 



120 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sermons. Homer and Virgil, Longinus and Demosthenes, 
Terence and Juvenal, Livy, Horace, and Xenophon, are 
amongst the authors enumerated as occupying the attention 
of the students of Fort William. Independently of his lectures in 
these and other classical writers, Mr. Buchanan's memoranda 
notice frequent communications with Lord Wellesley, and the 
council of the college, upon points of internal discipline and 
arrangement, the composition of various public orders, letters, 
and other papers and documents, the revision of college essays, 
and books connected with the institution, and attendances at the 
terminal examinations, disputations, and subsequent distribution 
into classes, of the students. 

The time necessarily employed in these multiplied labours, 
in maintaining a correspondence in India and Europe, and in 
visits of ceremony, friendship, or charity, and amongst the latter 
some are mentioned to the orphan and other schools in and 
near Calcutta, will suffice to prove, that no sooner were these 
opportunities of active service and usefulness presented to Mr. 
Buchanan, than he embraced them with a degree of ardour, 
diligence, and perseverance, which reflects the highest honour 
on his principles and his practice. 

It will not, however, be a subject of surprise to those who 
are aware of the high standard by which such men as Mr. 
Brown and Mr. Buchanan are accustomed to measure their ob- 
ligations, to find that neither of them was satisfied with his 
endeavours to fulfil them. We have already noticed one proof 
of their mutual anxiety upon these important points.* And 
we have now to witness another of a still more interesting na- 
ture, in a reply of Mr. Buchanan to a communication from 
Mr. Brown, who was then at Chandernagore, where he had 
been residing some months for the benefit of his health. 
This valuable testimony to the pastoral feelings of both is as 
follows. 

"Calcutta, 29th November, 1801. 
" My dear Sir, — I received your letter last night. I envy 
much the zealous affection which animates your mind, and 
would gladly go up to Chandernagore also, to obtain the same. 
Old Mr. Newton, when in the country, used to think that Lon- 
don was Sardis ; but when he came up to town, he found there 
a great assembly walking in white ; and so he joined them. 
I have thought more seriously in Calcutta than ever I did at 
Barrackpore. But what I have been (at any period of my 

* See p. 77. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 121 

life) is so little like what 1 would wish to be, that I cannot 
contemplate it without remorse. I do not know that I ever 
had what christians call « zeal.' I recollect that I expected it 
would grow, when I entered the ministry ; but I had scarcely 
entered the ministry, and preached a few times, when I was 
sent to this country. 

44 I never knew, as you do, what it was to preach profitably 
and zealously for a season. That is a work I have to begin; 
and how to begin it I know not. I need an unction from on 
high, which I anxiously look for ; and yet in looking for this, 
I look for that which I never knew, as most have known it. 

44 One thing urges me sometimes to press forward with- 
hope ; and that is, that all I hear and all I say appears to me 
to be so very unlike what it ought to be, that I imagine some- 
thing better might be attempted. And yet were the Spirit in- 
deed to descend, we cannot expect that God, who worketh by 
natural means, should suddenly add the eloquent mouth, and 
new powers of memory and understanding. The holy skill 
of preaching appears to be the fruit of long experience and 
converse among God's people. And in Calcutta, as in every 
other place, the able minister of the New Testament can only 
be made, by nightly and wakeful meditation, patient study, 
and prayer producing self-denial, 

44 It appears to me that it was never intended that the gos- 
pel should flourish in the heart and mouth of any minister, 
who did not make it the ' one thing,' the sole point of heart- 
felt recurrence. But when it is made so, I can easily con- 
ceive how the tender plant grows a great tree with spreading 
branches and refreshing fruit. Then, no doubt, even a mind 
naturally barren bears exuberant ideas, and is constantly form- 
ing lively images ; and, though the mouth be rude in speech, 
the full heart becomes vocal, and utters the 4 word in season.* 

44 Whether either of us will be able thus to make the gos- 
pel the 4 one thing,' time will show. 4 He that warreth,' ought 
not to 4 entangle himself with the affairs of this life.' But do 
we ivar? Time enough for the soldier to disencumber him- 
self when he begins to fight. It is easy to throw off a college ; 
but it is very difficult to take up the church. But when the 
church spirit appears, it will soon conquer the college. 

44 The grand question is, ought not means to be used to ma- 
ture that spirit which we desire ? We read 4 that a good sol- 
dier of Jesus Christ entangleth himself not with the affairs of 
this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a 
soldier ;' or, as Guyse explains it, 4 he must not follow any 
civil calling, unprofitable reading, or unnecessary relaxation, to 

L 



122 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

entangle his thoughts, and swallow up his time ;' (superintend- 
ing a college is a civil calling; Latin and 'Greek is unprofita- 
ble reading, and lying in bed after five in the morning is un- 
necessary relaxation;) 'but his whole time, words, thoughts, 
and actions must be employed, like a soldier's, on his calling, 
that he may please Him who hath chosen and authorized him 
to fight.' 

44 How far, in what manner and in what particulars, St. 
Paul would obey the spirit of this passage, were he in your si- 
tuation or mine, I really cannot tell. Were he here, he would 
be warring. After we have warred for some time, we also 
shall know. ■ O that I knew the will of God in this matter,' 
saith Augustine ; 4 but I am not worthy to know his will. This 
ignorance is the fruit of my backsliding.' 

44 One thing seems probable, that no sudden success will ap- 
pear from any sudden change of our style of address, or man- 
ner of preaching. It arises usually from the impression of 
private character and manner of life. Private character alone 
will confirm the public sermon. The holy life of the minis- 
ter is the good alterative among men. 

44 As to myself, it is my only desire to be of some service \o 
the church of Christ before I die ; and I would gladly seize 
any means, by change of situation or otherwise, which would 
enable me to do so. As to this world, there is no object (if I 
know my own heart at all) which 1 have in view ; neither of 
family, of fortune, of situation, of leaving this country, or con- 
tinuing in it. I have chiefly to complain of a languid and 
heartless constitution, both in body and mind, which makes 
me to bear easily with all things, and to have little pleasure in 
any thing. This loss of energy and life has been occasioned 
partly by a continued course of ill health, partly by the unto- 
ward circumstances in my situation since I arrived in the 
country, but chiefly by the natural contagion of unchristian 
manners. 

44 I am, however, at this time more independent of society 
I dislike, than at any former period since my arrival in India; 
and I hope to be yet more so. Whether by resigning college 
appointments, secluding myself from the world, and preaching 
twice a week, I should be of more service, than by maintain- 
ing a public situation, is a question I cannot answer. What 
may be impossible and improper now, may be possible and 
proper hereafter. 

44 However, the chief consideration at present is the state of 
the heart. How is the soul with God ? I endeavour by 
prayer to restore it daily, relying (though feebly) on the aid of 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 123 

the Mediator, wondering sometimes that I am not worse, op- 
pressed in spirit at a review of the past, and hoping for better 
days. 

44 1 shall ever be ready to accede to any plan you can sug- 
gest, for the furtherance of our ministry. You say you 'long 
to launch out into the fulness of Christ.' So do I. But these 
words are too apostolic for me at present. In order to launch 
forth like * * * I should need not only a new effusion of the 
Holy Spirit ; but those natural abilities which generally ac- 
company such an effusion, in order to make it useful. Cir- 
cumstances seem to admonish me, that the 'still small voice/ 
and not 4 the rushing mighty wind,' is my province in the gos- 
pel. What another school than Calcutta would have produced, 
I know not. But I shall be blessed, if grace be given unto 
me, to do what good I can, consistently and steadily in my va- 
rious situations. Unhappily, collegiate avocations usurp much 
of my time. But let us beware of repining at the necessity 
of spending time in this way, till we become confident, that 
were all our time at our own disposal, we should spend it in a 
better. 

64 1 earnestly pray that we may both be rightly directed in 
our labours in this vineyard, that we may see some fruit in 
others, and enjoy the comfort ourselves of faithful ministers of 
the gospel. I think better days are at hand. 

44 In this hope I remain, my dear Sir, very affectionately 
yours, C. Buchanan. 

44 To the Rev. D. Brown, Chandernagore. 

" Sunday evening" 

It is not amongst the least interesting circumstances relative 
to this exquisite letter, that it exhibits both its author, and the 
friend to whom it was addressed, in a country which at that 
time possessed no ecclesiastical superior, amidst multiplied 
engagements of the most honourable and useful nature, and 
under the pressure of infirm health in an enervating climate, 
earnestly occupied, not in devising some method of relieving 
themselves from the burthen of their employments, in framing 
plausible apologies for the indulgence of ease and indolence, 
or in schemes for the attainment of wealth ; but affording mu- 
tual examples of self-inquiry, reproaching themselves with the 
lukewarmness of exertions which some, perhaps, had already 
accounted excessive ; and exciting each other to more animat- 
ed and abundant labours in the service of their Lord and 
Master. Yet such is the impressive sense which every faith- 
ful minister of the gospel entertains of his obligations and hii 



121 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

duties, of the love of Christ and the value of souls, of the 
uncertainty of opportunity and life, and the approach of an 
eternal world, that while many who ohserve him may imagine 
that he is indulging in self-complacency and satisfaction in the 
review of his exertions, he is in fact humbling himself before 
God, and in the confidence of private friendship, at the recol- 
lection of his numerous deficiencies. 

How well xMr. Buchanan understood the nature of true pas- 
toral zeal, together with what he justly calls ■ the holy skill of 
preaching;' how highly he estimated both, and how perfectly 
he was acquainted with the means by which they may be cul- 
tivated and beneficially exercised, is evident from his dignified 
and eloquent observations upon those important points. They 
can scarcely be read without producing a powerful conviction, 
that personal piety, of a vigorous and exalted character, must 
form the basis of any reasonable hope of success as a preacher 
of the gospel ; that it is " the heart of the wise," which must 
communicate persuasion to his lips ; and that it is the " doc- 
trine and the life coincident," which can alone be expected to 
constitute the divine art of winning* souls to God. 

The humility which breathes throughout the whole letter, 
the disinterestedness of the writer's views, the ardent desire 
which he expresses of more decisive usefulness, and the ob- 
scure intimation of a purpose, which was gradually becoming 
more definite and mature, of endeavouring more effectually to 
promote the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom in the 
East, cannot fail to be observed by every thoughtful reader ; 
and while they serve to illustrate the character of Mr. Bu- 
chanan, and the principles which he professed, are well calcu- 
lated to excite others to the imitation of such an example. 

A few days after the date of the preceding letter, Mr. Bu- 
chanan wrote to Mr. Grant as follows. 

" Mr. Brown and his family have been on the river for their 
health, for five or six weeks past. Our churches during this 
cold season are more crowded than 1 ever saw them before. 
Even on Wednesday evening there are a great number, and 
good is done. Some of the students attend on that evening. 
Their presence warms the heart of old Mr. Obeck. They 
know and visit him. 4 How would Mr. Grant rejoice,'* he 
sometimes says, 4 to see these things !' The pillars are re- 
moved, and a number of additional seats made, to accommo- 
date the many who come." 

* For the history of the Mission Church, and of the peculiar interest which 
Mr. Grant would feel in its propriety, the reader is referred to the M Memorial 
Sketches" of Mr. Brown, lately published. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 125 

On the 20th of January, 1802, it appears by a brief memo- 
randum, that Mr. Buchanan, in taking his usual evening's exer- 
cise, suffered a severe fall from his horse. " He came down," 
he says, " at full gallop, and I was thrown over his head, and 
stunned. He seemed to tumble over me. Mercy! mercy!" 
The sense which he thus emphatically expressed of the divine 
goodness which had preserved him from any fatal injury, was 
probably heightened by his recollection of the death of a Mr. 
M'Intyre, in consequence of a similar accident about two 
months before, which he had also recorded, from the singular 
circumstance that this gentleman had lived some time at Car- 
radell, in Kintyre, when he was himself there, in the year 
1785. It was scarcely less remarkable, that Mr. Buchanan 
should have occasion, a few months afterwards, to notice the 
death of a Mr. Mackay, in Calcutta, whom he had succeeded, 
about the same period, as tutor in the family of Captain Camp- 
bell, of Carradell. Though Mr. Buchanan complained for 
several weeks of the effects of his fall, he was sufficiently re- 
covered to preach, yet not without much weakness and pain, 
the next evening. 

During the whole of this month Mr. Buchanan was employ- 
ed in making various arrangements preparatory to the anniver- 
sary of the commencement of the college on the 6th of February 
On that day public disputations* were held in the Persian, 
Bengalee, and Hindostanee languages, in the presence of the 
supreme council, and many other distinguished persons; the 
prizes and honorary rewards adjudged at the preceding exami- 
nations were distributed, and a speech was delivered by Sir 
George Barlow, the acting visiter, in the absence of Marquis 
Wellesley; in which, after expressing his satisfaction at the 
zeal and ability of the officers and professors of the college in 
the discharge of their public duties, and at the distinguished 
proficiency of many of the students, as well as their exemplary 
conduct, he observed, that the establishment of the college had 
already excited a general and most beneficial attention to orien- 
tal languages, literature, and knowledge ; and avowed his con- 
viction, that by diligently availing themselves of the advantages 
afforded by the institution, the students would enjoy the ani- 
mating prospect of being eminently useful to their country, by 
aiding it in fulfilling the high moral obligations attendant on 
the possession of its Indian empire ; on the discharge of which 
the prosperity and permanence of that empire must equally 
depend. 

* See H The College of Fort William/' p. 58. 

l2 



126 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

The various occupations, however, of Mr. Buchanan, did 
not induce him to forget his friends in Europe. Early in the 
year 1802, his income being now considerably augmented, he, 
-with that filial piety which marked his character, authorized 
his mother to draw upon his agents for the sum of three hun- 
dred pounds annually. 

With Mrs. Buchanan, whose arrival in England has been 
mentioned, he maintained a frequent correspondence. In one 
of his letters he gave her an interesting sketch of his early 
life, some circumstances of which he does not appear to have 
previously communicated to her, and which he observed might 
form a good commentary on Isaiah xlii. 16. — " I will bring 
the blind by a way that they knew not, I will lead them in 
paths that they have not known : I will make darkness Light 
before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I 
do unto them, and not forsake them/' 

Having brought down his history to the time at which he was 
writing, he concludes with the following reflections on his pre- 
sent views and purposes, the piety, beauty, and affection of 
which cannot but be generally admired. 

" Such, my dearest Mary, has been my varied life, and such 
the wonderful providence which has watched over me during 
so long a period. I pray that now I am settled, I may be ena- 
bled to show a heart fixed on my Saviour, and on the ministra- 
tion of his word. I feel that nothing in this world can afford 
me any delight equal to what I hope to find in the labour of 
the everlasting gospel./ No fortune, or rank in life, can ever, I 
think, give any solid comfort to my soul: nothing but heavenly 
draughts can quench my thirst, i 

44 My infirm constitution admonishes me not to expect to 
enjoy life, as some speak, and I am thankful for every barrier 
which God erects against my taking up my rest in this wilder- 
ness. Let us then, my dear Mary, live for the day, seeking 
that heavenly peace which is always attainable. We have 
learnt from our past experience, that 'our times are in his 
hands,' and we shall confess at the end that 4 He hath done all 
things well.' 

"I feel a deep sense of the importance of my present situa- 
tion, and of the necessity of using the talent committed to my 
charge; the uncertainty of having such an useful sphere of ac- 
tion much longer, or my health continued, or my reputation 
supported ; these things excite me to greater exertions while it 
is called ' to-day.' 

44 The 'society of religious people here pray that I may be 
enabled to do something for the gospel. I am now. in better 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 127 

health than formerly. My spirits are more alive. My desires 
after a regular life increase, and I trust my hopes in the gospel 
will be fulfilled. You, my beloved wife, can now pray in 
faith: a sense of religion has visited you. Cherish it as the 
life of your soul. Esteem it the pearl of great price, far ex- 
ceeding in value the joys of your family, or the wealth of the 
Indies. I know that gay society at home will impede your 
progress for awhile, but these difficulties are useful in proving 
and trying us, and bringing us forth like gold purified in the 
fire. It is not preciseness of external conduct, but communion, 
with God in prayer which forms the christian's character. If 
you continue to approach the throne of grace with as much" 
earnestness as you used when on the great waters, you will 
gradually arrive at a holy state of mind, pure satisfaction of 
soul, and inexpressible delight in the contemplation of the gos 
pel. Christ will be formed in you, and you will begin to learn 
the breadth, and length, and height, and depth of his unsearch- 
able riches. y 

44 All you have to do is to give your testimony to the truth 
of real religion, when opportunities shall be afforded, in mo- 
desty and simplicity ; alleging that the gospel is not in form* 
but in power ; and that we must all suffer a change of heart, 
before we can enter the kingdom of God. This is the truth 
which I maintain in my preaching, and it is found to be the 
only effectual doctrine to reach the hearts of men." 

The close of this truly interesting letter affords a most sub- 
stantial proof of the practical influence of Mr. Buchanan's 
principles, and of the sincerity of the religious professions and 
purposes which precede it. 

44 By the last ships I sent four hundred pounds to Mr. EL 
Thornton, being the amount of his expense on my own ac- 
count at college for four years, at one hundred pounds per an- 
num. He never expected that I should repay him, but God 
has put it in my power, and therefore it is my duty. 

" I told him I only sent it back to the fountain from 
whence it would probably soon flow again in some act of be- 
nevolence. 

44 1 also told him that I meant to devote five hundred pounds 
for the support of a young man at the University, of religious 
character and good ability, who might be in poor circumstances, 
and whom he, or Mr. Newton, or Dr. Milner, President of 
Queen's college, should select. At the same time I remitted 
an order on Messrs. Boehm and Co. to Mr. T. for paying the 
sum of one hundred and twenty-five pounds per annum, by 
half yearly instalments, for this purpose ; and I expressed a 



1-8 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

wish that the young man might prove an honour to the gos- 
pel, and become an useful labourer in his Master's vineyard. 

11 While it is in my power, I wish to do some good thing 
for the gospel of my blessed Lord. I may soon be called 
hence. May I be able to devote my heart to his glory while I 
stay! 

M May we be grateful stewards of God's blessings, so abund- 
ant and unlooked for ! And may we continue daily to remem- 
ber the wonderful way in which we have been led from our 
early years to this day!" 

Various motives might have suggested to manv men, pos- 
sessed of lucrative appointments, the propriety of restoring to 
a patron the sum which might have been expended in prepar- 
ing them for their stations. Such a step, however, might not 
have been distinguished by promptness, and still less by any 
act of spontaneous liberality. In both these respects, the con- 
duct of Mr. Buchanan was of a very elevated and generous 
character. It was but a short time that he had enjoyed an 
abundant income ; he had already two children, for whom he 
could as yet have made but very little provision ; he was afford- 
ing a liberal allowance to his mother ; his own health was pre- 
carious, and that of his wife was subjecting him to the ex- 
pense of a voyage to England, with a view to her return to 
India ; the principal source of his emoluments was of an un- 
certain nature, and had, in fact, though then unknown to him, 
been already considerably diminished. Gratitude, however, 
to his earthly benefactor, and love to his divine Lord and Mas- 
ter, induced him, notwithstanding many plausible motives at 
least to defer his purpose, at once to discharge a debt of kind- 
ness, and to fulfil a truly christian design ; and under these 
impressions he communicated to Mr. Thornton the arrange- 
ment which has been already detailed. The sense which that 
gentleman entertained of Mr. Buchanan's conduct was proba- 
bly expressed in a letter to himself: but the only memorial of 
it which remains is in the following letter to a mutual friend. 

LoyDoy, Dec. 24, 1802. 
41 Dear Sir, — I called at your house the other day, and if I 
had met with you, I should have informed you of the letter 
which I have received from Mr. Buchanan. He remits in' it 
five hundred and twenty pounds ; of which four hundred is 
intended as a repayment to myself of the four years' allow- 
ance which I made to him at college, and the remaining sum is 
to be applied in a manner which he directs. He moreover 
gives me a letter to a house in London, desiring them to par 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 129 

me an annual sum for four years, for the education of such 
young man for the ministry as I, Mr. Newton, and Dr. Milner 
may select. 

" I am not quite clear whether Mr. Buchanan, at the time of 
writing the letter, was apprized of all that diminution of his 
income which the orders sent out from hence for suspending 
the institution of the college will produce : and I feel some 
doubt, on this account, whether either to take or to keep the 
four hundred pounds. 1 shall thank you for any information 
on this point which you may possess ; as well as for the men- 
tion of any promising young man for education at college, with 
a view to the ministry of the church. I would also request 
you to take some occasion of expressing to Mr. Buchanan the 
satisfaction which I felt at this mark of integrity, or of some- 
thing more than integrity, as I ought to term it, in his conduct. 
It has raised him in the opinion both of myself and others, 
and it will not, as I am persuaded, be one of the acts of which 
lie will repent whenever he may come to die. For my own 
part, I shall always hold that his children will have some 
claim upon me in consequence of the return of this money, in 
the event of their falling into pecuniary difficulties ; and Pro- 
vidence, I am well persuaded, is wont to provide for those 
who, without robbing or neglecting their own household, avoid 
the common eagerness to lay up for them. 

" I am, dear sir, yours sincerely, H. Thornton." 

It may be satisfactory to add to the preceding letter, that 
Mr. Buchanan's liberal offer was accepted ; and that a young 
man, approved by the three friends to whom the selection was 
referred, was afterwards supported during the usual term of 
residence at the University of Cambridge ; who is now filling 
with ability and credit a very useful station in the church. 

While the members of the college of Fort William were 
zealously and successfully occupied in the prosecution of their 
labours, the Governor General in council, on the 15th of June, 
1802, received with the utmost concern the commands of the 
Court of Directors for the immediate abolition of that import- 
ant institution. On the 22d following, Lord Wellesley com- 
municated this despatch to Mr. Buchanan, who, in common 
with every other friend of the college, deeply lamented this 
unexpected determination ; and directed him to consider of a 
reply to the reasons upon which it was professedly grounded. 
Concerning the share which he might have had in that which 
was shortly afterwards produced, it is unnecessary to inquire. 
The Governor General was at all times fully competent to the 



130 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

defence of his own measures, though lie might, and probably 
(ltd, avail himself of the talents and information of those around 
him, upon every great question. It is sufficient to observe 
that, in a Utter* to the chairman of the Court of Directors, 
dated the 5th of August, 1802, characterized by the same 
anility which had distinguished his minute in council, Marquis 
Wellesley submitted to the Court a general view of the princi- 
ples by which his conduct had been regulated relative to the 
establishment of the college, and of the measures which he 
had pursued on, what his lordship termed, the present " most 
painful and alllicting occasion." 

In directing the immediate abolition of the college of Fort 
William, the Governor General observed, the letter of the 
honourable Court appeared to acknowledge with approbation 
the liberal and enlightened spirit of the institution, the just 
principles on which it was founded, and the important ends to 
which it was directed. The objections stated by the Court 
against the continuance of the establishment were apparently 
confined to its expense, and to the pressure of that charge on 
the present circumstances of the Company's finances in India. 
The first object, therefore, of Lord Wellesley was, by a mi- 
nute detail of facts, to convince the Court that the expenses 
already incurred on account of the college had not been more 
considerable than was required by the magnitude of the objects 
proposed by the institution ; that those expenses had been 
actually defrayed by new resources destined to that express 
purpose ; and that provision had been secured for defraying 
the future current expenses of the college, without interfering 
with any other branch of the public service, and without 
diminishing the scale of their commercial investments. 

It appeared, however, to be manifestly the intention of the 
Court of Directors that some establishment for the better in- 
struction of the civil servants at each of the Presidencies should 
subsist in India ; the outlines of which had been traced in their 
letter to the Governor General. His lordship, therefore, next 
proceeded to compare the actual expense and ascertained bene- 
fit of the institution then subsisting at Fort William, with the 
probable expense and probable benefit of the seminaries by 
which the Court intended to supersede that institution. The 
result of this comparison was stated to be, that the necessary 
effect of the latter plan would be to involve the expense of a 
triple establishment for every branch of study, alike requisite 
at each of the three Presidencies, which must equal, and 

* See " The College of Fort William," p. 65. 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 131 

would probably exceed, the total current charges, on the 
highest estimate, of the college of Fort William. 

The Court of Directors had instructed the Governor Gene- 
ral to supersede that institution by the revival of a seminary 
of Mr. Gilchrist, the learned and meritorious Professor of the 
Hindostanee language, which had existed previously to the 
establishment of the college. But no modification or exten- 
sion of that plan could, as the Governor General contended, 
embrace the objects proposed to be secured by the collegiate 
establishment of Fort William; the fundamental defects of* 
that limited plan having, in fact, furnished rules for his lord- 
ship's guidance in founding a comprehensive and liberal insti- 
tution on the ground of practical experience. These defects 
related especially to the want of any means of enforcing a due 
system of discipline and study, in regulating private economy 
and moral conduct, in precluding temptation to expense, and 
in guarding against every vicious excess ; without which, 
great mischief would be infused into the students at its very 
source, by establishing any seminary of instruction which 
should require the whole body of the junior civil servants to 
continue assembled for any considerable period of time in any 
part of India, and, above all, at the seats of the respective 
Presidencies. Lord Wellesley, therefore, expressed his de- 
cided conviction that, in addition to the necessary teachers 
and professors in the seminary proposed by the Court of Di- 
rectors, some authority of the nature of that exercised in col- 
leges in Europe, and of that then existing in the college of 
Fort William, must be established for the purpose of main- 
taining and promoting order and discipline, good morals and 
religion. Under these circumstances, the final result of the 
plan proposed by the Court of Directors, of dividing the col- 
lege of Fort William into three seminaries, to be established 
separately at each Presidency, would either be to render each 
and all those seminaries inefficient and dangerous, or to aggra- 
vate the collective expense of this triple institution to an 
amount greatly exceeding the charges of the united establish- 
ment then existing. 

After this comparison of the expenses and advantages of 
these several institutions, the Governor General directed the 
particular attention of the Court to the benefits already deriv- 
ed to their civil service, from the operation and effect of the 
system of study and discipline constituted and enforced by 
the college of Fort William. The general progress of the stu- 
dents, his lordship declared, in the oriental languages and 
literature, had exceeded the most sanguine expectations of the 



132 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

examiners, who had always been selected from the ablest ori- 
ental scholars actually at Calcutta, and whose voluntary aid 
had been afforded to support the discipline, and to improve the 
course of study, and the mode of instruction pursued in the 
institution. A spirit of emulation had been excited among the 
students, as unexampled in its scope and ardour, as it was 
propitious to the future government of India. The institution 
had already corrected many of the defects which Lord Welles- 
ley had found in the younger branches of the civil service 
upon his arrival in India, and had reclaimed to industrious 
and laborious pursuits many of the junior servants, who were 
disposed to pursue courses of a contrary tendency. That a 
general disposition to economy and regularity then prevailed 
among the students ; that principles of due subordination had 
also been established among them with the happiest success ; 
and that the young men then composing the body of the stu- 
dents at Fort William afforded the most auspicious hope, that 
the local administration of India for several years to come 
would be amply provided with instruments properly qualified 
to accomplish all the purposes of a w r ise, just, and benevolent 
government. 

Though these and other considerations might have induced 
the Governer General to suspend the execution of the order 
for the abolition of the college, and to refer the question to the 
further pleasure of the Court, the peculiar character and spirit 
of its commands, and the nature of the institution, seemed to 
require their immediate execution. To this his lordship ac- 
cordingly proceeded; but in fulfilling this painful duty, a most 
serious and difficult question arose with regard to the time when 
the abolition of the college should take effect. The determina- 
tion of this question involved principles so deeply affecting the 
welfare, future prospects, and just expectations of the students, 
and also the consideration due to the situation of the professors 
and teachers, and of the numerous learned natives attached to 
the institution, that Lord Wellesley felt himself compelled to 
declare, that the abolition of the college of Fort William must 
be gradual; and that the institution should not terminate pre- 
viously to the 31st of December, 1803, when the great body of 
the students then attached to the college would have completed 
the course which they had so successfully commenced. His 
lordship finally observed, that he had been partly induced to 
protract the existence of the institution, from the hope that his 
preceding representation might prove the means of inducing the 
Court of Directors to review their late orders, and to restore to 
their civil service in India the inestimable advantages whicV 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 133 

must be destroyed by the destruction of the college, and to suf- 
fer it to remain unaltered until he should have the opportunity 
of reporting in person to the Court the condition and effects of 
the institution, and of submitting to them such details as might 
enable them to exercise their final judgment on the whole plan. 

The foregoing abstract of Marquis Wellesley's defence of the 
college of Fort William will not be deemed irrelevant to the 
subject of these memoirs, when it is considered how prominent 
a station Mr. Buchanan held in that institution. It is by no 
means necessary for his biographer to express any opinion upon- 
the merits of the question between the Governor General and 
the Court of Directors. That of Mr. Buchanan, as will here- 
after frequently appear, was certainly uniform and decided ; and 
the subsequent conduct of the Directors themselves sufficiently 
proves, that however they might differ from Lord Wellesley, 
and those who thought with him, as to the detail of its form 
and circumstances, they considered the institution of the college 
as a measure of substantial wisdom and necessity. 

For the present it w r as to remain, as we have seen, unal- 
tered ; and on the 30th of June, 1802, a volume was published 
under the superintendance of the Vice-Provost, entitled, " Pri- 
mitiae Orientales ; containing Essays by the students of the 
college of Fort William; to which are added, the Theses 
pronounced at the public disputations in the oriental languages, 
on the 6th of February, 1802. " The subjects of the disputa- 
tions contained in this volume are the three following. First, 
" An academical institution in India is advantageous to the 
natives and to the British nation ; sustained in Persian by 
Messrs. Lovett, Lloyd, and Guthrie. Secondly, "TheHin- 
dostanee language is the most generally useful in India;" sup- 
ported in Hindostanee by Messrs. Bayley, Lovett, and Lloyd. 
Thirdly, " The Asiatics are capable of as high degrees of civi- 
lization as the Europeans ;" maintained in Bengalee by Messrs. 
Martin, Bayley, and Hodgson. The English essays com- 
prised in the same volume were, first, " On the advantages to 
be expected from an academical institution in India ; considered 
in a moral, literary, and political point of view ;" by Messrs. 
Martin, Elliott, and Bayley. Secondly, " On the best means 
of acquiring a knowledge of the manners and customs of the 
natives of India ;" by Messrs. Hamilton, Martin, and Metcalfe. 
Thirdly, " On the character and capacity of the Asiatics ; and 
particularly of the natives of Hindostan ;" by Messrs. Wood, 
Martin, and Newnham. Many of these compositions are highly 
creditable to the talents, information, principles, and taste pf 

M 



134 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

their authors, and would hear a comparison with similar pro- 
ductions in our English Universities. 

Early in the year 1803, Marquis Wellesley presided at the 
second annual disputations of the students of the college of Fort 
William. The subjects were the advantages of the British 
Government to the natives of India, the burning of Hindoo 
widows, and the distribution of Hindoos into castes. Declama- 
tions were also pronounced for the first time in the Arabic lan- 
guage. After the degrees of honour had been conferred, and 
the prizes and rewards for proficiency both in oriental and clas- 
sical learning had been distributed, the noble visitor delivered a 
very dignified and eloquent speech, in which he declared, in 
the most public and solemn manner, that the institution had 
answered his most sanguine hopes and expectations; that its 
beneficial operation had justified the principles of its original 
foundation ; and that the administration and discipline of the 
college had been conducted with honour and credit to the 
character and spirit of the institution, and with great advantage 
to the public service. Essays on the Mohammedan conquests 
and government in India, and on the restoration of learning in 
the East, by several of the students, were afterwards published, 
together with the preceding disputations and declamations, in 
the second volume of the " Primitiae Orientales." 

In the spring of this year Mr. Buchanan received letters 
from his wife, whose health appeared to be considerably re- 
stored by her visit to her native country, announcing her in- 
tention of leaving England in the month of January. " This," 
said he, in a letter to the friend, in whose family she had re- 
sided some months during her visit, " was joyful intelligence 
to me. In two or three months hence, I may be blessed with 
seeing her again. When she mentions her affectionate intimacy 
with your family, she writes in tears. But I see evidently 
that it is the gospel union which so powerfully awakens her 
heart in speaking of the happiness of her residing with you. 
I expect that she will do good in the Carmarthen, and I hope 
she will do good in Calcutta. She comes out to a promising 
scene of joy ; to see her little Augusta, now grown up a healthy 
and talkative girl ; calling out for mamma for two years past 
in vain. And she comes out to many, who love and respect 
her, and to some who have learnt during her absence to love 
4 the excellent of the earth.' 

" I have now a house in the country, about three miles from 
Calcutta, on the banks of the river, where she may sleep oc- 
casionally, and retire from company. I spend three or four 
solitary evenings every week in Garden Reach. The change 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 135 

of place and air refreshes me for the labours of the succeeding 
day. Augusta and I play together in the groves, and then re- 
turn by water to Calcutta. A gentleman leaving India sent me 
his boat as a present to Mary when she comes out. I rind the 
river air very salutary and renovating, and perhaps she will 
rind it so too. But our pleasures at Clapham or on the Ganges 
are transitory. May they be so tempered with prayer, as to 
prepare us both for the pleasures of that ' other country,' where 
there will be no separation, and where the inhabitants will 
never say, * I am sick !' Mrs. B. mentions the circumstances- 
of your illness with a lively concern, mingled with a sensation 
of pleasure. Her hours passed by your sick couch were de- 
lightful. Providence hath well ordered her steps. It may be, 
indeed, that I shall never see her ; or that I shall contemplate 
her departing spirit for a short time, in her emaciated frame. 
But then God hath made with her a covenant well-ordered and 
sure ! Thus it is with my house. And this is my joy. Thus 
God hath blessed our short sojourn together ; and the end will 
be an eternal song of glory to his redeeming love." 

Though the fears, which Mr. Buchanan expresses with so 
much tenderness and piety as to the probably short period of 
his reunion with his wife, were but too well founded, it is 
pleasing to reflect, that he was gratified by again seeing her in 
India. She embarked on board the Carmarthen in the month 
of February ; and, as Mr. Buchanan had anticipated, the piety 
of her mind was displayed during the voyage by her endea- 
vours to promote the religious improvement of two young 
ladies, one of whom had been placed under her protection. 
Mrs. Buchanan had a more favourable voyage than in return- 
ing to Europe, and arrived safely at Calcutta on the 24th of 
August. 

The remainder of the letter from which an interesting pas- 
sage respecting Mrs. Buchanan has just been extracted, is oc- 
cupied with the important subject of the college of Fort Wil- 
liam ; in which, though some things occur similar to those 
which have been already stated from the public letter of Lord 
Wellesley, many additional facts and sentiments are contained, 
more particularly with reference to Mr. Buchanan himself, 
which it may be proper to insert. 

"You say," he continues, "that you hear the college is 
abolished. It has been long abolished in London, but it still 
exists here, in greater spirit and utility than ever ; and it r$mst 
continue to exist, (though perhaps under a different name,^ as 
long as the British empire reigns in India. To send a young 
man adrift in the upper provinces, without any knowledge of 



136 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the languages, and without any official preparation, is now ut- 
terly impossible. The good sense of young men themselves 
would deprecate it. Every one here sees that the body of 
civil servants educated these three years in the college of Fort 
William will by and by govern India. Many of them are 
already approaching to the most responsible situations. The 
body of juniors that follow, if left in their native ignorance, 
will be held in comparative contempt, and must ever feel the 
injustice done to them. 

" The Directors wish the institution to be called a seminary, 
and then they will support it. I have no objection to the name, 
provided that the young men are taught ; and they must be 
taught in future. You might as well think of abolishing the 
schools in London, as abolishing schools in Calcutta. Thus 
much then has been effected by the institution of the college. 
Education has been proved to be useful in India. Of the stu- 
dents who have just left college, only eight out of thirty have 
contracted any debt. Many of them have saved money ; a 
thing unheard of in India, and by the old civil servants account- 
ed impossible. This is the point to which the public attention 
is turned. The reign of native money lenders is now at an 
end. But a school or seminary directed by native moonshees, 
and destitute of the high and respectable jurisdiction of learned 
and religious men, would never be able to effect this desirable 
purpose. The authority and the honours of a college are alone 
competent to restrain a body of young men of good families 
and flattering- prospects in this luxurious and deteriorating 
country. That ever such an objection as that of expense should 
have been urged by the Directors appears to me unaccountable. 
The expense, whatever it has been, is now amply liquidated ; 
and in a manner more favourable to the interests of the Com- 
pany than if the sum had been paid into their treasury ; with 
some advantage of health, of morals, and of learning, and with 
some coercion of the native ascendancy, which has ever been 
deemed the bane of the British administration in India. 

" Satisfied, however, with the good which has been done 
by the institution, we wait submissively for the period of its 
regular dissolution ; which will be in December next. Even 
were it to continue in its present state, or in one yet more im- 
proved and respectable, I should not desire to bear a part in it. 
I have weak health. My heart seeks to be disengaged from 
collegiate labours, and to find rest and refreshment in the one 
spiritual work of the everlasting gospel. Fortune or fame 
cannot add an hour's happiness to my present existence ; but 
they may interrupt it. I feel a secret pleasure in the purpose 



\ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 137 

of the Directors to abolish the college, as it respects myself; 
but I feel at the same time that its continuance under other 
men would be favourable to my evangelical labours in this 
country. 

" In perfect confidence, therefore, that God will order all 
things aright, in time, manner, and event, I implore the direc- 
tion of his Spirit to improve ' the passing day.' My chief 
source of despondency at times is the want of fellow-labour- 
ers, of learned and serious men, in this vineyard, where there 
is so numerous a body of well-educated young men. 

" I would willingly at this moment give 50,000 rupees for 
two religious and respectable young men established in the 
church of Calcutta, and capable of conducting the studies of 
the college. Foreseeing where we were likely to fail, I took 
early measures to procure such from home ; both by address- 
ing Lord Wellesley, and by writing myself. But we have not 
succeeded. But this also is directed by an all-wise Provi- 
dence; and he w T ill accomplish his glory by any means." 

The following letter to Mr. Grant enters still more fully 
into the interesting subject of the college, and contains some 
particulars respecting Mr. Buchanan's lectures as classical pro- 
fessor, w T hich have not been before mentioned. Whatever 
may have been the sentiments of the distinguished Director to 
whom this letter was addressed, it cannot but be considered 
most honourable to the talents and principles of its author. 

" Calcutta, 22d August, 1803. 

" Dear Sir, — Your letter of January last, introducing your 
nephews, I have received. You may be assured of my ren- 
dering them every service in my power, both in the superin- 
tendance of their moral conduct, and of their progress in 
learning. 

11 Circumstances are not so favourable at present to a well 
disposed youth newly arrived, as at an earlier era of the 
college. 

" The repeated shocks the institution has sustained from 
home*, and its often predicted dissolution here, have been in- 
jurious to its religious and moral influence. On the arrival of 
the Court's letter, abolishing the college, the students found 
that religion and morality formed no part of the plan proposed 
as a substitute. And so absolutely did they consider the 
Court's opinion to be favourable to the old system of relaxed 
morals and contracting debt, that they circulated a placard in 
college, containing a parody of Henry the Fourth's speech to 
kis son ; beginning with these lines : 

M 2 



138 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

u Pluck down my officers ; break my decrees j 

For now a time is come to mock at form. 

Have you a ruffian m writer) that will swear, drink, dance, 

England (the Court) shall double gild his treble guilt," die. 

11 The religious people here perceived the bad consequences 
immediately. Old Mr. Obeck, whose hopes of the o;ood ef- 
fects of the institution had ever been sanguine, sighed from his 
heart, and exclaimed, 4 Cruel, cruel ! while the black banians 
and the old leaven in the service grinned their ghastly exul- 
tation. 

44 Order and discipline were nevertheless preserved in the 
exterior. But the wound inflicted by that letter on the grow- 
ing honour of religion and exemplary morals is not healed to 
this day. The first symptoms appeared in the gradual se- 
cession of the students from the mission church in the 
evening. 

44 At the present time the regular and well disposed youths 
attend church either morning or evening ; but in small propor- 
tion, compared to the former number. 

44 As to general good order, attention to lectures, success in 
study, and dread of debt, there cannot be a college in Europe 
in a better state. If a young man is faulty in these points, he 
is sent up the country on the old system, in the character of 
an 4 ignorant assistant,' to, it may be, an ignorant judge. The 
frequent letters sent in of late to government by these expelled 
members petitioning to be restored to college, will appear to 
you some argument in favour of the institution ; when you 
consider that at this moment we know nothing of the Court's 
intentions on the subject, and think the abolition of the college 
as likely as not, 

44 Your nephews have been now attached to the college for 
two weeks. The report made to me yesterday by their pro- 
fessor is favourable to their diligence. But they have to con- 
tend with some formidable rivals, who commence their studies 
with them. Of these two or three have not a single friend 
here, except their official friends in college. And this circum- 
stance sometimes makes a rival formidable ; his hope of pro- 
motion depending on the college alone. 

44 The appointments continue to be made according to merit. 
Of the eleven students belonging to the Presidency of Bengal, 
who entered on the public service this year, the two highest 
in proficiency, Messrs. Bayley and Martin, had their choice 
of situations ; and are in the diplomatic department in the 
Governor General's office. The next four were appointed to 
registerships j and the five lowest to assistantships, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 139 

u Letters of recommendation from England are of no avail. 
Lord Wellesley once observed, that, of those young men who 
had brought him letters from the king's ministers and others, 
the greater part had been expelled from college, or were in the 
lowest classes. 

44 I doubt not but you and the whole Court are by this time 
satisfied of the vast accession to the interests of the Company, 
derived from the juniors of the last two years entering their 
service, unincumbered by debt. 

44 The extent of this good, either as referring to the morals 
and fortune of the individual, or to his fidelity and exertion 
for the public service, cannot be calculated here. It is admit- 
ted, as if by acclamation, throughout the British territories in 
India. 

44 You must also have heard of the good effects of the in- 
stitution on the general health of the students ; resulting from 
their regular habits of study, in a climate, where exposure to 
the sun is so baneful to youth on their first arrival. 

44 Never, perhaps, was there an institution in any age or 
country raised so rapidly on so doubtful a foundation, or which 
nourished so extensively under such severe assaults, or which 
produced so much of public and of private benefit, in so short 
a space of time, as the college of Fort William in Bengal. 

44 The Gazette you will receive herewith, though published 
in course, is amplified at this time, in anticipation of the dis- 
solution of the college by the court ; and is intended as a 
monument of what the college was. 

44 Many a parent in Great Britain and Ireland, who reads 
this gazette, will lament that it should be the last. 

44 Those gratifying half-yearly reports of the health and 
studies of their sons in this distant country (where sons are 
so negligent in writing to their parents) will now be withheld ; 
one of the chains of affection will be broken, and one of the 
chief incentives to good conduct, destroyed. 

44 Of your own good wishes for the success of this institu- 
tion, I never entertained a doubt. And I even believe that 
your influence in the direction will induce them to qualify 
their late letter of abolition. But it is not probable that any 
thing less than the ample support of the first principles and 
first establishment of the institution will restore it to its first 
dignity, or maintain its present effect 

44 In the midst of this uncertainty we 4 are sure that the 
Lord reigneth ;' and that his gracious providence hath order- 
ed all things aright ; hath produced the good already done, and 



140 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN". 

Will overrule the evil, past and to come, to his own glory, and 
the good of his faithful church on earth. 

44 It is now upwards of three years since I was appointed 
to offices in this college ; and, as I before mentioned to you, 
every collegiate object of a private nature is extinct in my 
breast ; and I would gladly resign my situation to some other 
person of more ability, health, and spirits, even in the event 
of the Court's increasing the first dignity and importance of 
the institution. What I write to you comes really from an 
indifferent person. 

"If God were pleased to give me my heart's desire, he 
would give me more grace and a greater sense of the value of 
souls ; with a measure of better health and more undisturbed 
leisure to make known the glory of his gospel among his peo- 
ple here, during the short period that may be allotted to my 
ministry. 

44 But I may add, for your consideration, in the event of 
your continuing a clergyman to govern the college, that his 
establishment must be made equal to that of a senior civil ser- 
vant in the higher departments. If the church had dignity in 
India, that might suffice. But in present circumstances, the 
governor of the whole body of the junior civil servants can- 
not possibly be inferior in rank and establishment to a senior 
civil servant. If he be inferior, he will never be able to pre- 
serve the necessary authority and respect, whatever his cha- 
racter, his ability, or acquirements may be. 

44 And this has been hitherto the most material defect in the 
institution. 

44 One other point I may mention, as for the last time, and 
which is of equal importance : and that is, that the union of 
the three Presidencies in one institution has been now demon- 
strated to be the best and perhaps the only mode of effecting 
the purposes intended ; in promoting a rapid knowledge of the 
languages, and a knowledge of public business, in encourag- 
ing honourable and temperate conduct under the eye of the 
supreme authority, and in facilitating the future administration 
of the country by a concert of principles and a personal 
knowledge of character. 

44 Whatever good the private schools, proposed by the 
Court at the different Presidencies, may do, (and they will do 
a little,) they can never produce some of the effects to which I 
allude at all ; and none of them in a degree equal to what has 
been already done at this college. 

44 Five students have lately proceeded to Madras, who will 
in a short time be qualified to govern the country ; whether 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 141 

you require great talents, oriental knowledge, classical learn- 
ing, prudent and upright conduct, or (I can add of two of 
them) a just sense of religion. 

44 Now the local position of these five young men for the 
last three years at Madras, rather than at Calcutta, would not 
have answered any important purpose that I can conceive ; or, 
as they often told me, that they could ever conceive. And the 
evidence of the young men's letters after their return to their 
respective Presidencies is conclusive on this subject. 

44 1 began this letter with the mention of your nephews. 
They have the happiness of being placed where exemplary 
morals will be encouraged if they have a disposition to pro- 
fess them. The daily inspection of their conduct will fall to 
the lot of the individual families with whom they reside, Mr. 
Udny and Major Fraser. In my present situation I can sel- 
dom see the students but when they require admonition or 
deserve praise. 

44 Of those indeed who attend the classical lectures I gain a 
more intimate knowledge. 

44 Continuance in my class can only be maintained by ex- 
emplary conduct, and by honourable progress in the oriental 
languages. And these qualifications have characterized my 
pupils to this time, almost without exception. 

44 In many cases a personal friendship has been formed, 
which has proved of much service to me in regulating the 
manners of the other students. Of these my young friends, 
some have now proceeded to Bombay, some to Madras, and 
some to the provinces attached to this Presidency. And they 
seem to value our acquaintance now as much as formerly; 
and frequently favour me with letters on the subject of their 
studies, or on the state of affairs at their respective stations. 

44 But it is not always that a well disposed young man can 
attend my lectures. His previous knowledge of classics may 
be so inconsiderable, that he is incompetent to join a class ; 
and I have no time for individual instruction. Or it may hap- 
pen that his progress in the oriental languages is very slow 
and unsatisfactory to his professor ; in which t^ase he is not 
permitted to expend time on the classics. At all events it is 
not till after a term or two, when his acquirements and talents 
are known, that he is admitted. So that your nephews can- 
not resume the study of their European learning for some 
months. And this makes it doubtful whether they will ever 
be my pupils, as I wish to exonerate myself from the classical 
department immediately on the arrival of your letter to the 
Governor General, whether that letter confirm the institution 
or not, 



142 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

" I shall, however, feel warmly interested in young men so 
nearly related to you, and whose welfare you have so much at 
heart. 

" Mrs. Buchanan is not yet arrived. I have heard of her 
good health at St. Helena, and of her pious care of two young 
ladies whom she found on hoard ship. One of them comes 
out to her father, who was once commander of a country ship ; 
but she comes out to disappointment, for he is now reduced to 
beggary, and banished from society by his worthless charac- 
ter; so that I suppose Mrs. B. will not think it right to resign 
her charge. The young lady bears an amiable character, and is 
well educated. And from 'her attending prayers in Mrs. B.'s 
cabin morning and evening, and reading the scriptures with 
much interest and affection, ' (a circumstance which Mrs. B. 
mentions in her letters to me,) w T e may look for the best fruits, 
and hope that she is acquiring a consolation that will triumph 
over her misfortune. 

" Mr. Brown is in his usual state of doubtful health ; doubt- 
ful also whether he shall go home or stay in India ; but he is 
constant and faithful in his charge over his faithful people. 

" I have written to you a long letter; and, according to my 
dawk book, it is the thirteenth within the last eighteen months. 
You will not expect frequent letters from me for the future. 
I consider this as my winding up letter; like that of a mer- 
chant who is about to retire from business, and wishes to settle 
his accounts. 

To Mr. Newton I wrote lately, and I could wish you to 
communicate to him this letter, if he be able to read it. 

"To his pious affection and fatherly counsel it has been 
owing, under the wonder-working providence of God, that 
the junior servants of the East India Company have been 
placed for the last three years under my superintendence. 

" By Mr. Thornton's means also, and by yours, this dis- 
pensation has been directed. 

" I remain, dear sir, with mueh regard, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

The number of Mr. Buchanan's correspondents was this 
year increased by the return to Europe of Major Sandys, who, 
in a season of severe domestic affliction, had been led to search 
the scriptures for consolation ; and to whom the preaching of 
Brown and Mr. Buchanan had been blessed as the means of 
bringing him to the knowledge of the gospel, from the proud 
holds of philosophical infidelity. To this gentleman, with 
whom Mr. Buchanan afterwards maintained an uninterrupted 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 143 

and affectionate intercourse, he wrote, in the month of June, 
as follows : 

" I suppose you will have seen all your friends by this time, 
and settled your plans. I am anxious to know how you find 
yourself after a year's residence in England. We do as usual 
in Calcutta. Serious religion appears to increase. Mr. Obeck 
is yet alive, but declining fast. He begs his blessing on you, 
whom he calls a ' young man,' and wishes you a long chris- 
tian life. You are quite forgotten by the gay world here, even 
by those who used Xo feast with you sometimes. Those who 
are always asking me about you are the poor people who 
knew you but half a year. 

" . . . . and .... are labouring at their docks and ac- 
counts, thinking often of England, and sometimes of another 
world. 

" Since you and Prole left me, I have had no hooka. I do 
not yet find the abstinence of much service, farther than it 
saves time, now and then. The advantage of the hooka was, 
that I could easily compose myself for composition by its 
help. 

" The whole settlement is at present in agitation, giving 
Lord W. a public entertainment. The hawk as usual on the 
steeple looks down in amazement at the bustle. It costs sixty 
thousand rupees. 

" .... is sick. He has had many attacks. She seeks 
comfort at church ; and he begins to think, perhaps, that he 
can obtain it no where else. 

" But your interest in all these Calcutta matters will weaken 
every month. That the gospel is honoured will be to you the 
most welcome and the most interesting news. Adieu, my 
dear Sandys." 

The following is an extract from a second letter of Mr. Bu- 
chanan to Major Sandys, dated early in September. 

" Your letter from St. Helana I have just received by Mrs. 
Buchanan, who arrived there the day after you had sailed. 
Mary is much improved in health, and greatly matured in spi- 
ritual knowledge, strength, and grace, which is the chief 
theme of my happiness. Her missing you was a keen disap- 
pointment at the moment. But she soon reflected that God 
had ordered it for wise and gracious purposes, and then she 
submitted. She opened your letters to me which she found at 
Major Greentree's. These letters astonished her beyond 
measure. She thought that you had yet been a man of the 
world, (for she had not heard that your affliction had been 
sanctified to you,) but behold she found you to be a child of 



144 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

God ; your understanding illuminated with knowledge, and 
your heart expanding with love, hope, joy, zeal, and all the 
charities. She lamented that she had no christian near her to 
whom she might, in pious confidence, communicate these 
happy news. So she disburdened her heart by writing a letter 
to me. 

"I was rejoiced to find by your letters that the gospel is 
still glorious in your view, and that the world and its vanities 
had not obscured the heavenly vision. May this happy state 
be ever yours without alloy or reverse, but such as may be 
necessary to confirm, and strengthen, and perfect you in the 
inner man." 

By a letter of the same date as the preceding, Mr. Buchanan 
communicated to Mr. Elliott an affecting but consoling account 
of the death of his son, who, in consequence of his distin- 
guished proficiency in oriental learning, had been appointed 
by Marquis Wellesley secretary to an embassy to Arabia; but 
who, after having fulfilled with great ability the duties of his 
mission, fell a victim to a fever in that country, and as a mark 
of peculir honour, was interred in the garden of the Imam of 
Senna. 

To the same friend Mr. Buchanan again wrote in the course 
of the month, as follows : 

" Your letter by Mrs. Buchanan I received about a month 
ago, since which time no ship for Europe has sailed. I thank 
you for the ' Christian Observer.' You wish me to furnish 
some papers for it. Mr. Thornton wrote to me on the same 
subject ; but I answered him that my present avocations will 
not permit it. A period of leisure may perhaps soon be 
granted to me. But this is not the only objection to my fur- 
nishing you with the life of Mr. Swartz. He left no papers; 
and those persons are now removed who could give the best 
information. He also deprecated posthumous praise ; and was 
in constant dread of fame. He concealed often from Mr. 
Obeck, (his only friend at one time,) his favoured seasons from 
on high. 

" Mrs. Buchanan is quite surprised to find so much vital 
religion amongst us. My responsibility in college is greater 
at present than formerly ; but the answer of the court will de- 
termine many points ; and as far as relates to myself, they can- 
not help determining them to my satisfaction. 

tf We are carrying on a successful war against the Mahrattas, 
fighting against them in three different quarters, and obtaining 
three victories at the same time. The Hindoos are happy 
that Juggernaut, their famous place of worship, has fallen into 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 145 

our hands, for our imposts will not be so great as those of the 
former possessors of the adjoining district.'^ 

The occasional notices which have occurred in Mr. Bu- 
chanan's letters respecting 1 the pious and excellent Mr. Obeck, 
have probably excited a wish in the minds of most readers, to 
know something of the closing scene of his life, as well as 
some farther particulars of his character. In the month of 
May, Mr. Buchanan thus wrote to Mr. Grant : 

" The departure of the aged Obeck appears to be at hand. 
At least, he thinks so, and bids me impart to you his blessing - 
while his understanding remains. He was carried into church 
last night, (Wednesday's lecture,) but was so much revived by 
the service and view of his brethren, that he walked out, with 
assistance. His only food at present is bread dipped in wine. 

" Under this decay of body his mind is more vigorous than 
ever. He has, within this last year, assumed a very intrepid 
tone in rebuking sin, and remonstrating with the lukewarm, 
and in defining a holy life in India. But he has great joy 
among the true disciples, and his spiritual comforts have of 
late been abundant." 

Towards the end of the month of August following, Mr. 
Buchanan thus describes to the same friend the progress of 
Mr. Obeck's decline : 

" The good Obeck is yet alive ; but his loins are girt for the 
heavenly journey. He is confined to his room, and cannot at- 
tend church. But the church attends him. He listens with 
delight to the voice of praise in the adjoining building on the 
Sunday and Thursday evenings. 

" We have arranged all his temporal affairs to his satisfac- 
tion. He has given us his text for his funeral sermon ; in 
preaching which, I fear my spirits will fail me. It is difficult 
to speak of the deceased father to the surviving children." 

This venerable man was now very fast approaching his end. 
Early in September he felt a presentiment that he should not 
live to the close of that month ; and accordingly, on the 24th, 
Mr. Buchanan thus announced his death to his respected friend 
and benefactor : 

" The aged Obeck has at last departed. For some weeks 
before he almost daily expected his dismission. He had no 
spiritual conflict at his last hour, but manifested constantly 
peace, joy, and high assurance. He was sensible to the last : 
and when he could not speak, he testified his exultation of 
soul by pressing ardently to his breast his fellow saints. He 
left to you and your family his solemn blessing. I send you a 
paper containing some notice of his death. 

N 



146 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 Just before Mr. Obeck's death, I preached his dying ser- 
mon in the mission church from these words ; 4 The time of 
my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have 
finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the 
righteous Judge shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, 
but unto all them also who love his appearing.' 

11 Mr. Brown will preach his funeral sermon next Sunday 
evening." 

Of what Mr. Buchanan styles Mr. Obeck's dying sermon 
it may not be uninteresting to many readers to insert an ex- 
tract; both as it contains a pleasing and animated sketch of the 
life and character of that exemplary christian, and as it may 
afford a specimen of the spirit of Mr. Buchanan's preaching 
upon such occasions. 

44 These are the words of the Apostle Paul, in the view of 
his approaching death. They are words which manifest the 
triumph of faith ; and which the Spirit of God enabled him to 
utter; to be adopted by every faithful christian in after ages. 
By these w r ords he sets a seal to his doctrine, that it was true : 
that it was really the life of the soul at the dissolution of the 
body : that the assurance of the christian in the view of death 
is strong and sensible ; manifesting a power denied to others in 
like circumstances ; and anticipating the joys to be revealed in 
the kingdom of God. 

44 In the records of every age of the church, we read of those 
who were enabled to testify their faith and hope in the words 
of the apostle ; and wherever the gospel is faithfully declar- 
ed, and its power is felt, there will be frequent instances of 
this triumph in death. 

44 God hath been graciously pleased to honour this church 
with such an instance at this time ; exemplified in his aged and 
faithful servant, the venerable John Obeck ; who has for many 
years been a member of this congregation, and is now supposed 
to be at the point of death. 

.. 44 This good man has ever been distinguished for his genuine 
piety, for his ardent faith in the gospel, for his singular bene- 
volence, and for his unremitted labours of love among the poor 
and needy. He has been long known in this place, as one who 
was always 4 going about doing good;' exhibiting an affecting 
and amiable example of that 4 pure religion and undented,' 
taught by the precepts and doctrine of our Saviour. 

44 But his chief labour was in inculcating the sacred truths of 
the gospel whenever he had opportunity ; and such opportu- 
nities he often enjoyed. Many persons have for some years 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 147 

attended his prayers in his own family, which was indeed a 
church in his own house, where they enjoyed the inestimable 
advantage of hearing his spiritual instruction, and listening to 
the counsels of age and experince. 

" His temperate and pure life has now carried him to his 
seventy-third year. And from his fifteenth year (as I think he 
once mentioned) he has endeavoured to serve God. Since that 
period he has had a sense of religion in his heart, and has been 
enabled to ■ keep himself unspotted from the world.' 

" All serious persons who knew him had reason to expect, 
that God would honour the death of so faithful a servant ; and 
this honour hath been conferred on him in an abundant manner. - 
During the two last months of his illness, the praise of his 
Redeemer has been his constant theme. Surrounded daily by 
his numerous family, his pleasure has been to talk of the things 
of God, and of the glories of the kingdom to which he is hasten- 
ing. And his ability has been as great as his pleasure. For 
even at this time, when it is doubtful whether he will survive 
another day, and when his bodily frame is in the last stage of 
debility ; even now, his understanding is clear and unclouded ; 
his perception of divine truths is undoubtedly stronger than at 
a former period of his illness ; his soul seems to swell with 
exultation when he recounts the past mercies of God ; and his 
admonitions and exhortations to others have an earnestness and 
emphasis, united with a force of reasoning and firmness of per- 
suasion, which is nowhere to be seen but on the death-bed of 
the christian ; and which nothing can inspire but a power from 
on high. 

" It will not be necessary to apologize for exhibiting to you 
such an instance of the truth and divine power of the christian 
religion. It is of great importance that such instances should 
be exhibited ; for the knowledge of them is oftentimes blessed 
in a peculiar manner to the hearers. And this excellent man 
is himself fully sensible of the inexpressible goodness of God 
to him, in enabling him to bear this blessed testimony at his 
dying hour. 

"He does not speak of manifestations and visions of glory, 
which have sometimes attended the death of good men ; but he 
manifests a calm, rational, and placid spirit, founded on the 
basis of an immoveable faith, yet accompanied by such ardour 
of expression, and by such an assurance of hope, as would 
abash philosophy itself. 

" He has none of those doubts which are often found on a 
death-bed. He has not those fears and misgivings of con- 
science which the unstable and careless christian often expe- 



148 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

riences. He has none of those fearful forebodings which harass 
the soul of the despiser of religion in his last hour. He is a 
stranger to that gloomy despair which often haunts the soul of 
the man who haul passed through life the slave of ambition, or 
the votary of pleasure. No, his last moments are the happiest 
of his life. His ambition through life has been to obtain ' that 
honour which cometh from God ;' and his pleasure has been, in 
serving God with his whole heart; in loving his neighbour as 
himself; in forgiving his enemies; and in praying for those 
who persecute and despitefully use the professor of the gospel 
of Christ. 

"Do you inquire on what faith these good works and this 
holy disposition were founded ? Let me express to you his faith, 
collected chiefly from his own words : 

'"lama sinner saved by the mercy of God in Christ. By 
nature I am impure and unholy. Nothing in me, no merit of 
mine, could make me the object of God's distinguishing grace. 
But I believed the word of God, and I was enabled to offer up 
my prayers at an early age, that he would open my understand- 
ing, and lead me to a knowledge of his truth. And his pro- 
mise was fulfilled to me, (as it is fulfilled to every serious in- 
quirer,) ' Ask, and it shall be given unto you ; seek, and ye 
shall find.' By degrees the mysteries of the gospel were open- 
ed to my view. I beheld myself a lost and undone soul, lying 
w r ith a multitude in a world of wickedness ; subject to the just 
wrath of God. But I at the same time heard of the offer made 
to a perishing world by the Saviour Christ. I beheld the whole 
world overwhelmed by a flood of sin and misery, and the ark 
of redemption floating on the waters. Every page of the gos- 
pel showed me that there was no salvation, but by the ark 
Christ ; that his atonement on the cross was the only atone- 
ment for my past and future sins ; that his gracious Spirit in- 
ffuencing my soul was the only preservative from my evil pas- 
sions and from an ensnaring- world ; and that his mediation 
alone procures our access to God, and warrants an answer to 
our prayers. 

" ' Thus,' said he, ' the perusal of the word of God was 
.blessed to my soul. I received it in its plain and obvious mean- 
ing ; and I have had a constant experience of its truth through 
my past life. It has been a light to my steps, and a lantern to 
my paths. Its peculiar doctrines appear now all light and 
glory to my soul. I know that the denunciations of God against 
•the despisers of his gospel will be expressly executed ; and I 
know that his promises of glory to the righteous will be ful- 
filled in a way thai « eye hath not seen, or ear heard, or hath 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 149 

entered into the heart of man to conceive ;' and the anticipation 
of this glory is to me unutterable. My prayer at my last mo- 
ments is, that this power of the gospel may he felt more and 
more at this place ; that the blessing of God may rest on this 
church ; that the ministers may labour in the word with zeal 
and faithfulness ; and that the hearers may receive the word 
preached with meekness and affection ; that so the testimony 
of the gospel may prevail, and the church of Christ may begin 
to flourish in this dark corner of the world. 

" * I leave,' said he, ' my blessing on this church. 

" 4 As to my numerous family, I leave them with scarcely 
the means of subsistence ; but I leave them dependant on that - 
gracious Providence, which has supported me from youth to 
age, in a state of apparent poverty and yet possessing abun- 
dance. I leave my children to God as to a surviving Father, 
who will care for them as he hath cared for me, and will, I 
trust, bless my instructions to the salvation of their souls. 

" ' As to myself, my hope is in heaven. The promises of 
God are in a manner already fulfilled to me. His truth and 
faithfulness are demonstrated to my soul. By his mercy " I 
have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have 
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give 
me at that day ; and not to me only, but unto all them also who 
love his appearing.' " 

" Such, my brethren, are the sentiments, the expressions, 
and the heavenly hope of this good man. He now lies on his 
death-bed in the house adjoining this church; and endeavours 
to join the praises of the congregation with his feeble voice. 
He could even now confirm every sentiment respecting him 
which I have uttered ; and he could confirm them with an 
energy and eloquence of which I am incapable. 

" Who is there in this assembly who is not ready to say, 
L Let me also die the death of the righteous ; and let my last 
end be like hisV " 

In the same month in which the preceding sermon was 
preached, Mr. Buchanan was called to perform a similar office 
on occasion of the death of Mr. Archibald Edmonstone, of the 
Board of Trade, who left behind him a noble testimony to his 
faith in the gospel. " His last words," says Mr, Buchanan, 
in mentioning the event in a letter to a friend, " were these, 
* Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
through his abundant mercy hath begotten me again unto a lively 
hope, through the resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ from 
the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that 

n2 



150 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

fadeth not away/ These words his brother has directed to be 
engraven on his tomb." 

The manner in which Mr. Edmonstone, who then filled one 
of the most confidential situations under the Presidency of Ben- 
gal, and is celebrated for his oriental learning, classical taste, 
and cultivated understanding, described Mr. Buchanan's funeral 
sermon on his brother, is too honourable to him to be omitted. 
It occurs in a note from Mr. Edmonstone to his friend Captain 
Baillie, professor of the Arabic language and of Mohammedan 
law in the college of Fort William, and is as follows : 

" My dear B. — I am returned from hearing a most affecting 
and impressive discourse delivered by Mr. Buchanan with a 
degree of feeling that does honour to his heart, on the occur- 
rence of last week. I am anxious that Mr. B. should know 
how grateful I feel for this high tribute of respect to the me- 
mory and virtues of a beloved brother, and I therefore entreat 
you to express to Mr. B. my sincere gratitude for this distin- 
guished mark of his regard for him. Tell him that he has 
afforded to my mind a real consolation, and that I trust I shall 
ever after be the better for the affecting and forcible manner in 
which he has held forth to imitation the example of a life of 
true piety and virtue. Further, I request that you will convey 
to Mr. B. my earnest wish (if it be not improper) that he 
will allow me to transcribe his discourse, both for the purpose 
of retaining it for my own use and benefit, and of transmitting 
a copy of it to those in Europe who will indeed need the 
consolation for such an irreparable loss, which so distinguish- 
ed a testimony to the merits of a son and a brother is calcu- 
lated to afford. Never does a clergyman appear more conspi- 
cuously respectable, than when he combines with the public 
duties of his calling the offices of humanity and consolation; 
and never while 1 live will the memory of Mr. B.'s solemn 
and eloquent discourse on this melancholy occasion, nor the 
gratitude and respect for him which it has excited, be oblite- 
rated from the mind of your ever affectionate 

N. B. Edmonstone. 
"Sunday, 11th September, 1S03. 

"To Captain Baillie/' 

It was in the summer of this year that Mr. Buchanan first 
thought of proposing certain subjects of prize composition, 
connected with the civilization and moral improvement of 
India to the Universities of the United Kingdom. With this 
laudable intention he waited on the Governor General, and 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 151 

having obtained his lordship's approbation of the plan, he on 
the 20th of October despatched letters to the Vice-Chancellors 
and Principals of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 
of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrew's, and Aberdeen, to the 
Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, and to the head masters 
of Eton, Westminster, and the Charter-House Schools, con- 
taining the following proposals. For the best essay in Eng- 
lish prose on "the best means of extending the blessings of 
civilization and true religion among the sixty millions, inha- 
bitants of Hindostan, subject to British authority ;" in each . 
University^ one hundred pounds. For the best English poem 
on " the revival of letters in the East," sixty pounds. For 
"the best Latin ode or poem on " Collegium Bengalense," 
twenty -five pounds ; and the same sum for the best Greek 
ode on "TmrSu $&.'' The sum of fifty pounds each for the 
best Latin and Greek poems was offered to the successful can- 
didate at each of the public schools. No less a sum than six- 
teen hundred and fifty pounds was thus appropriated by Mr. 
Buchanan to this benevolent and patriotic purpose. The 
unusual nature and munificent extent of his offers induced 
some to suppose, either that they were not made simply at his 
own suggestion and responsibility, or that he must have been 
actuated by motives of ostentation and vanity. With respect 
to the proposals themselves, they undoubtedly originated solely 
with Mr. Buchanan, and were supported exclusively by his 
own liberality. He was ever a man of a large and generous 
mind, fertile in devising plans of usefulness, and prompt in 
seizing the first opportunity of executing them. He was anx- 
ious to extend in this country the knowledge of the character 
and effects of the great collegiate institution which he had 
been called to superintend ; and the recent victories of our 
-armies in the peninsula having enlarged and confirmed our 
eastern empire, he was desirous of awakening and directing 
the minds of his countrymen at home to the duty and the op- 
portunity of promoting the moral and political welfare of our 
fellow subjects in India. Publicity and inquiry were therefore 
his great objects ; publicity, not as to his own character or 
fame, for this he knew might have been far more certainly ob- 
tained by more obvious and less costly means, but as to the 
great and philanthropic design which he had in view ; and this 
induced him to endeavour to interest in his plan even the 
higher forms in our public schools, The result of his liberal 
proposals must be reserved to th<3 period of their reception 
; and success in this country. 

In the month of November following, Mr. Buchanan firsi 



152 MEMOIRS OF DR, BUCHANAN", 

communicated his thoughts on the expediency of an eccle- 
siastical establishment for British India, in letters to the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, and to the rest of the episcopal bench, 
having previously submitted them to Marquis Wellesley. The 
reply which he received from the late Bishop Porteus con- 
firmed and encouraged him in his determination to bring that 
important subject fully before the public. 

It was in the course of this year also, that Mr. Buchanan 
obtained the sanction of the Governor-General to the building 
of a new church in Calcutta. But the extensive plans of 
Lord Wellesley respecting the college, and other political con- 
cerns, prevented the execution of this design. 

A few circumstances which occur in Mr. Buchanan's letters 
to Mr. Grant and Major Sandys towards the end of this year, 
may here be added. To the former he thus wrote in October 
and December; 

44 The venerable Obeck had not been dead many weeks, when 
his old friend Mr. Gericke, that valuable man, took his depart- 
ure also. The church at Madras is in great affliction ; for 
there is no one to fill his place. Letters have come to us for 
help. But we can give none. I do not know what acquaint- 
ance you may have with that mission ; but attention to it ap- 
pears to me highly important in the present state of things. If 
there were any missionary like-minded with Gericke w r ithin 
your reach, we could from Calcutta add something to his sa- 
lary, if that be desirable." 

To Major Sandys, Mr. Buchanan wrote as follows : 

44 We are passing through an eventful season in India. The 
order of the day is victory, and the Mahratta power is at length 
destroyed. The whole peninsula is now under British domin- 
ion. I have taken advantage of the crisis, in endeavouring 
to excite our Universities at home to plead the cause of eastern 
civilization. 

44 Mary improves in health daily. She has no sanguine 
wish to return to England ; and it is a subject on which I 
never think. My health continually bids it, but norhing else. 
Providence will in due time unlock every difficulty, and make 
our purpose and duty clear. 

44 The young lady who came out with Mrs. B. in the Car- 
marthen appears to be dying of a consumption. If her strength 
permit, we mean to send her to sea in a few days. She will 
go first to [Madras, where Lady Sinclair will receive her. She 
has a serious impression of religion, and is preparing for her 
great change. 

" Mr. Brown lives generally at Serampore. He is well, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 153 

and begs his christian love to yon, solicitous for your welfare 
amidst the trials to which you will be exposed. 

a * * * * anc j i are on our USU al footing. I certainly give 
him a great deal of trouble ; but it is on important subjects. I 
suffer sometimes a repulse ; then I wait for a favourable mo- 
ment, anxious, during the little time that may be spared, to do 
all I can for the church of Christ in India ; for that is the chief 
subject of my late endeavours/' 

The character of the audience usually assembling at the 
Presidency church has been already noticed. It has also been 
observed, that a few years previous to this period, the spirit 
of infidelity or of religious indifference was lamentably gene- 
ral in our eastern capital ; and the infection still remained 
amongst some, who, from neglected education, or the influence 
of circumstances and habits, peculiarly unfriendly to Chris- 
tianity, were scarcely aware of the nature of religious senti- 
ment and feeling. Amongst other subjects, therefore, of dis- 
course, more directly suited to those who acknowledged the 
great truths of the gospel, Mr. Buchanan occasionally address- 
ed those who doubted of its divine authority; and the perspi- 
cuity and force, with which he stated its various evidences, 
tended materially to extend and confirm the conviction of its 
truth. The importance of such discourses is much height- 
ened from the consideration of their probable effect on the 
minds of the numerous young men, who as yet continued to 
be assembled from the three Presidencies at the college of Fort 
William ; and who might be justly expected to carry with 
them to their different stations throughout India, those sound 
principles of christian faith and practice which they had heard 
thus ably and eloquently inculcated. The memorial of the 
year 1803 cannot, perhaps, be better closed than by a short 
extract or two from a sermon of this class preached by Mr. 
Buchanan on Christmas-day, from the confession of the Sa- 
maritans, John iv. 42. " Now we believe — and know that 
this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." 

The discourse opens with a brief review of the origin and 
prevalence of Christianity by the preaching of a few unlearned 
men in a remote age, at a period when learning and science 
flourished in the surrounding nations ; and closing with the 
following striking observation : 

" Long before that period, a prophecy had gone forth con- 
cerning the advent of the Messiah, in these remarkable words : 
4 The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish.' 
(Isaiah lx. 12.) If we look back to the history of the world, 
we shall accordingly find that every nation which embraced 



154 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

the christian religion, emerged from ignorance and obscurity to 
knowledge and light. If we consider the condition of man- 
kind at this day, we shall perceive that those nations alone 
which have been educated in the christian religion, are in a 
state of civilization. Every other nation is in comparative 
ignorance and barbarism. 

"Of those who do not support Christianity," continued Mr. 
Buchanan, " there are some men of talents and learning, who 
allege that they do not believe it, and a great number, possess- 
ing neither talents nor learning, would sanction a denial of it 
by their authority. We shall, however, suppose that such 
persons would be accounted good members of society; and, 
supposing this, we shall make some concessions in the way of 
argument, in order to lead to our conclusion as to their public 
conduct.'' 

These concessions, which are as follow, form, in fact, an 
indirect but powerful series of proofs in favour of the divine 
origin of Christianity : 

" We shall suppose for a moment that the evidence for the 
truth of our religion is not sufficient for human conviction. 
We shall even suppose, a miracle, (as it will appear to some,) 
that the principles which exalt our nation in the present zenith 
of human refinement, were taught, not divinely, but by a few 
fishermen of Judea, who imposed them forcibly on mankind, 
and bade every nation bow to their authority; who, being illi- 
terate themselves, subjugated the learning, good sense, and 
piety of future ages to the excellence of their precepts, and 
the sublime purity of their conceptions. 

" We shall even imagine that the system of prophecy from 
the earliest ages is not divine, and that the prophecies were not 
fulfilled by miracle, but by chance: that the Jewish church, 
with all its predictions, types, and figures of things to come ; 
and the Christian church, with all its fulfilments of these pre- 
dictions, types, and figures, are but the result of uncertain tra- 
dition ; that the scriptures themselves, not accounted a work 
either of learning or science, were yet handed down to us with 
ti purity of which no classical record can boast, and whose 
antiquity and durability appear to the minds of some like that 
of the works of nature, which God hath created incorruptible; 
we shall farther suppose that some other book has been found, 
or may be found in some future age, bearing some analogy to 
this* Ail these, and a thousand other collateral evidences, we 
shall suppose not to be sufficient for conviction; that although 
our religion has urged its way through every age, and hath 
acquired, in these latter days, the sanction of the highest de- 



MEMOIRS Of V&4 BUCHANAN. 155 

gree of learning and science which the world has ever known, 
yet that its evidence is not sufficient for certain men of supe- 
rior minds, or of purer hearts. 

44 We shall now inquire, what rule of conduct respecting 
this religion such an one ought to observe at this day ; one 
who would be accounted a man of humane and honourable 
principles, a friend of his country and of social order. 

"In the first place, his country professes the christian reli- 
gion. This of itself might inspire him with some delicacy in 
speaking disrespectfully of it. Again, we suppose that our 
country has been defending this religion for many years past ; 
that she has been accounted its representative amidst the deso- 
lation of other christian nations, and that she is now again 
called forth in that character. 

44 Now, supposing this to be true, would it be proper to 
weaken this sentiment? Would it add any thing to the spirit 
and energy of the nation, to believe that its religion is nothing 
concerned in the event? 

44 But leaving the consideration of the religion of our country, 
let us advert to its principles. The moral principles of our coun- 
try, whencesoever they have been derived, whether from an 
improved barbarism, from the relics of learned antiquity, or 
from a yet higher source, are at this time called christian prin- 
ciples. Their excellence is acknowledged by the friends and 
foes of the christian religion. In the degree in which they 
are practised, they promote the happiness of individuals, of 
communities, and of nations ; and the general practice of them 
would keep the world in peace. 

44 It will be granted, that if our country be defending any 
thing, she is defending her principles. Even those who deny 
her religion will consider the defence of her principles a sacred 
duty. Now let such persons consider how they are fulfilling 
this duty. 4 The principles of our country,' you will say, 
4 are good ; but the religion which taught them is not true, at 
least we are inclined to think so ; and, therefore, we may be 
permitted to express our doubt on the subject, and to indulge 
in occasional levity at the expense of the belief of others. 9 

44 Now, in the first place, do you think that it is a likely 
way to preserve these principles in the minds of men to insi- 
nuate that they are not divine? Do you think it a likely way 
to preserve moral principles in your children, or in young 
persons under your direction, to take away all religious sane- 
tion? 

44 But you will say, that you mean not to do any harm ; that 
your casual reflections on religion cannot be supposed to have 



156 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHAXAV. 

much effect, and that yon only indulge your passion for dis- 
playing your talents in your own circle, by asserting what you 
think liberal sentiments among young people, and by retailing 
the wit of learned infidels. 

44 But in doing this, do you assume the character of a good 
member of society ? If all men were such as you are, our 
constitution and liberties would not survive another day. They 
have not hitherto been maintained by such defenders! It was 
not this levity of principle which conducted us through our 
late dangers, and gave vigour to our fleets and armies in the 
awful contest. Nor is it this principle which at this eventful 
moment animates our nation with such a holy enthusiasm for 
the preservation of their country, their laws, and their religion. 

44 If it please the providence of God that success should 
still attend us in the deliverance of our country, you will yet 
have to reflect that you have not contributed to its preserva- 
tion ; that you have neither supported its religion nor its prin- 
ciples ; but will have to fear that, in the degree of your in- 
fluence, you have injured both. You will have to reflect that 
you have not done your part as a good member of society ; 
that however obscure your situation, or small your ability, 
you have put no mite into the treasury of the public good ; 
that, on the contrary, you have lived a mere inactive pensioner 
on the bounty of your country, which grants you the blessing 
of a tranquil life, and grants you also that liberty of opinion 
which is abused to her injury." 

The preceding passages form a brief abstract only of the 
train of reasoning pursued in this able sermon. Towards the 
close of it Mr. Buchanan observes, that great as is the benefit 
of the christian religion to nations, and irresistible as are the 
arguments for maintaining it for the good of society, its 
importance to the happiness of the individual is still greater. 

44 Had not its eternal sanctions awakened the consciences of 
men in every age, and its spirit sunk deep into their hearts, its 
national importance w r ould never have preserved it, and the 
solemnity of this day would not now have been observed. 
But there are those now who pronounce the confession of the 
text with the same confidence and in the same spirit with 
w r hich it was pronounced at first. * We believe and know that 
this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. 1 " 

After referring to the practical illustrations of this assertion 
which had been lately afforded amongst themselves,* Mr. 
Buchanan thus conludes: 

* Probably alluding to the deaths of Mr. Obeck and Mr. Edmonstone. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 157 

"That which was prophesied of the christian religion has 
been fulfilled in every age ; ■ that it should be in a state of con- 
flict, but that the spirit of some would preserve it unto the end 
of the world.' ■ Ye,' saith the Lord, ■ are the salt of the 
earth.' Ye are they, who, having an impression of the eternal 
truth of my gospel, will maintain its doctrines and principles 
for your own salvation, and for the advantage of an evil 
world. 

" 'But if at any time this salt shall lose its savour ;' if at 
any time your profession of religion should degenerate into a 
mere form, it then only serveth to be cast out, and * to be trod- 
den under the feet of men ;' under the feet of your present 
enemies, and by a vain philosophy. 

44 We, my brethren, may be accounted the representatives of 
the christian religion in this remote country. A duty is im- 
posed on us from which some societies may think themselves 
exonerated. And however little many of us may think of this 
duty, it is one which must and will be performed by some, 
zealously and faithfully, as a duty to God and to their country. 

44 And living in the observance of this duty, they will wait 
the event of that awful commotion which begins again to agi- 
tate the world, in humble acquiescence in the righteous dispen- 
sations of God, not trusting to the merits of our nation for 
deliverance, but firmly believing that, since it hath pleased his 
providence to honour us, in time past, with the defence of his 
religion, it is his will that it should yet be established by our 
means." 

It is a gratifying reflection, that the high duty and privilege 
of maintaining inviolate the purity of the christian religion has 
been faithfully fulfilled by the British empire at large ; and that 
we have emerged out of that great conflict which had then 
lately recommenced, with augmented strength and glory, a 
monument of the truth of the divine declaration, that the steady 
profession, and the undaunted defence of truth and righteous- 
ness, are the surest means of protecting and exalting a nation. 

It may not be improper to add, that, at the close of the pre- 
ceding sermon, a collection was made to the amount of 6,000 
rupees, a sum highly creditable to the liberality of the congre- 
gation, for the benefit of 44 the Calcutta Charitable Fund," in- 
stitued in the year 1800, by the Rev. David Brown, under the 
auspices of Marquis Wellesley, for the relief of distressed 
Europeans, Mohammedans, and Hindoos, of which Mr. Bu- 
chanan some years afterwards observed, that it had been a 
fountain of mercy to thousands. 



158 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANANS 



CHAPTER III. 

The college of Fort "William, according to the regulation of 
Lord Wellesley, in obedience to the decision of the Court of 
Directors, was to close on the 31st of December, 1803. It 
was, however, a very gratifying circumstance to the friends of 
that institution, that on the 3d of January, 1804, a despatch 
announced to the Governor General the determination of the 
court, that the college should for the present continue on its 
original footing. The business and examinations of the stu- 
dents accordingly proceeded in their usual train, or rather, with 
additional spirit. 

" An example of idleness," says Mr. Buchanan in a letter 
to a friend, "isa rare thing. The appointments to the ser- 
vice continue to be made according to the college list, that is, 
according to merit." 

* The annual disputations in the oriental languages were held 
this year on the 20th of September, in the presence of the 
Governor General, accompanied, as usual, by the principal 
officers of the Presidency, with the addition, on this occasion, 
of Soliman Aga, the envoy from Bagdad. The subjects of the 
disputations were, " the Shanscrit, as the parent language of 
India," in Hindostanee ; " the figurative sense of the poems 
of Hafiz," in Persian ; " the utility of translations of the best 
works extant in the Shanscrit into the popular languages of 
India," in Bengalee; and, in Arabic, "the importance of the 
Arabic to a grammatical knowledge of the Persian language." 
A declamation was afterwards pronounced in Shanscrit, for the 
first time, by one of the students, which was followed by a 
speech in the same language by the Rev. Mr. Carey ,t the Mo- 
derator and Professor. 

Prizes were at the same time awarded for the best English 
essays on " the utility of the Persian language in India," on 
" the progress of civilization in India under the British govern- 
ment," and on "the decline and fall of the Mohammedan em- 
pire in India." Honorary rewards of books were also adjudg- 



* See " The College of Fort William/' page 124. 
t For a translation of this eloquent and interesting speech, see " The College 
of Fort William," page 168. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 159 

ed to the best proficients in the Greek and Latin classics, and 
in the French language. 

The several compositions of this year were afterwards pub- 
lished in the third volume of the "Primitise Orientales." 

In the speech with which Marquis Wellesley closed the pro- 
ceedings of the day, his lordship declared, that in each succes- 
sive year the standard of comparative merit had been progres- 
sive in the highest classes of the college, and expressed his 
cordial satisfaction at the proficiency and good conduct of the 
students. 

44 The observance of all the statutes," said his lordship, " is 
equally essential to the interests and honour of the students ; 
nor is their duty confined merely to the diligent pursuit of the 
prescribed course of study. The intention of the statutes is not 
only to provide instruction in the oriental languages, and in the 
several branches of study immediately connected with the per- 
formance of official functions, but to prescribe habits of regu- 
larity and good order. My principal purpose in founding this 
institution was, to secure the junior servants of the Company 
from all undue influence in the discharge of their official func- 
tions, and to introduce them into the public service in perfect 
freedom and independence, exempt from every restraint, ex- 
cepting the high and sacred obligations of their civil, moral, and 
religious duty." 

In the course of the year 1804, several circumstances occur- 
red, connected with Mr. Buchanan and the college of Fort Wil- 
liam, which will be best introduced by a few extracts from his 
letters. He thus wrote to Major Sandys in the month of 
February : 

" We are much the same in church, state, and college, as 
when you left us ; only in respect to myself my various labours 
have increased, are increasing, and, I fear, will not be di- 
minished. 

" I am literally left alone in many matters of a public nature, 
particularly in a battle now fighting, (the worst I have yet had,) 
with Mussulman and Hindoo prejudices against translations of 
the Scriptures. Their clamour has assailed the government. 
Lord Wellesley and Mr. Barlow are neuter ; but the old civil 
servants fan the flame. A folio volume would not detail the 
particulars ; but I trust you will soon hear of the good effect. 
In the mean time, I am growing infirm in body, and long for 
more holy employ than that of hewing wood only for our fu- 
ture sanctuary in India. I know that what is doing is useful ; 
but spiritual comforts do not accompany the occupation, in the 



160 MEMOIR* OF DR. BTJCHANAK. 

degree I desire, and look forward to, when I have peace from 
public conflict." 

The particular circumstance to which Mr. Buchanan pro- 
bably referred in the preceding extract was a memorial which 
about this time was addressed to the Governor General, in con- 
sequence of the following subject having been proposed, among 
others, for discussion by the students of the college, at the 
annual disputations which have been just mentioned ; viz. 
" The advantage which the natives of this country might derive 
from translations, in the vernacular tongues, of the books con- 
taining the principles of their respective religions, and those of 
the christian faith." 

There certainly appears to be no ground of offence to the 
natives of India in the foregoing thesis. A christian might 
rather have objected to it as placing his most holy faith too 
much upon a level with heathen and Mohammedan error. A 
memorial was, however, addressed to the Governor General on 
the part of the Mohammedan moonshees, and of a number of 
the Mussulman inhabitants of Calcutta, remonstrating against 
this supposed infringement of the toleration afforded to them by 
the British government. In reply, Marquis Wellesley signified 
to the memorialists, that although he perceived no principle of 
an objectionable tendency in the foregoing thesis, yet, with a 
view to prevent all apprehension on the part of the natives, he 
had prohibited the intended disputation upon that subject. 

Some years afterwards this incident was appealed to on the 
part of the Bengal government in support of some measures 
tending to discourage or suppress the exertions of missionaries. 
Upon which occasion Mr. Buchanan observed,* that the me- 
morial probably originated in the suggestions of some indivi- 
duals at that time connected with the government and the col- 
lege, who appeared to entertain a degree of morbid tenderness 
for the religious feelings of the natives. 

These gentlemen had from the beginning been hostile to a 
most important work which had been carrying on in the college ; 
viz. the translation of the Scriptures into the oriental languages 
by natives and Europeans. So great was their jealousy on this 
subject, that there existed a kind of compromise between the 
friends and the opponents of this salutary measure, that if the 
Bible were printed for christians, the Koran should be printed 
for Mohammedans. It is to this honourable contest that Mr. 
Buchanan refers in the letter last quoted ; and, happily for the 
interests of Christianity, he was decidedly successful. So early 

* See his " Apology for promoting Christianity in India," p. 102. 



MEHOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 161 

as the year after the present period of these memoirs, a com- 
mencement had been made in the translation of the Scriptures 
into several languages. * The first versions of any of the gos- 
pels in Persian and Hindostanee, which were printed in India, 
issued from the press of the college of Fort William. The 
Persian was superintended by Lieut. Colonel Colebrooke, and 
the Hindostanee by William Hunter, Esq. The gospels were 
translated into the Malay by Thomas Jarre tt, Esq., of the civil 
service. 

Of these and other translations of the Scriptures then pro- , 
jected and undertaken, only a very inconsiderable part was exe- 
cuted at the public expense. The sole charge incurred by the 
college in the department of sacred translation, was for the gos- 
pel of St. Matthew in Persian and Hindostanee ; with this ex- 
ception, the extensive Biblical works successively announced 
from this institution were carried on at the private expense of 
those members of the college, amongst whom the Provost and 
Vice-Provost held the first rank, and others who deemed it to 
be of the highest importance to promote the diffusion of sacred 
literature in Asia. 

A second occurrence in this year marked an improved state 
of moral feeling in Calcutta, and particularly illustrates the 
salutary influence of the college of Fort William. It is thus 
mentioned by Mr. Buchanan in a letter to Major Sandys, in the 
month of August : 

" The institution of a civil fund for widows and orphans 
agitates this service at present. The old gentlemen wish to in- 
clude black illegitimate children. The junior servants, who are 
now or have been in college, almost with one voice exclaim 
against a measure which they conceive would have a tendency 
to sanction vice, and to countenance an illicit connexion with 
native women. The question is now referred to the vote of 
every individual in the service. In the meantime, one of my 
old scholars has written a letter to the service ; in which he 
complains of their violation of the divine law, and requests 
them to revert to the principles of honour and chastity. Mr. 
M. is in the Governor General's office, and is supported by the 
young school, by all the college, by the Governor General, and 
by all the friends of revealed religion. Caricatura prints, ex- 
hibiting the mover of the subject, with a black child in his 
arms, pleading its cause in full assembly, while a black dye 
behind urges him forward ; and various other devices mark the 
popular question, and promise to brand the immoral practice. 

* See the * f Christian Researches," introduct. p. %. 

o2 



162 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAtf. 

It is said, that the affliction and shame of the old service are 
extreme ; and that they execrate the college and its fruits, and 
hope that the Court of Directors will now see, how unfriendly- 
it is to ancient institutions ! 

88 What the result as to the fund will he, I know not." 

This, however, Mr. Buchanan stated to the public in the fol- 
lowing year, in some remarks on the college of Fort William.* 
88 The contest," he observes, " was maintained for a consider- 
able time, by printed correspondence, and the fund was at 
length established without the opprobrious clause. But a few 
years ago," adds Mr. Buchanan, " any man who should have 
ventured to resist such a measure on the ground of religious or 
moral propriety, would have become the jest of the whole ser- 
vice. He must be an entire stranger to what is passing in 
Bengal, who does not perceive that the college of Fort William 
is sensibly promoting an amelioration of the European charac- 
ter, as well as the civilization of India." 

The activity of Mr. Buchanan's mind respecting objects 
which he deemed important to the interests of morals and re- 
ligion, may be collected, not only from the preceding circum- 
stances, but from various hints in his correspondence and diary. 

Thus at the close of the letter from which the foregoing ex- 
tract w r as made, he says, "I have always some plans relating 
to church or college in his excellency's hands; and generally 
in arrear. But when he does take them up, it is with the pro- 
per attention." A memorandum also occurs in the same year, 
in which Mr. Buchanan notices a consultation which he had 
lately held with Sir George Barlow on a public thanksgiving, 
probably on account of the victorious termination of the Mah- 
ratta war, on the subject of a cenotaph for those who had fallen 
in battle, and respecting an order for the better observance of 
the Sunday. 

Amidst his various labours, however, the domestic trial, with 
which Mr. Buchanan had been already exercised, was renewed 
by the reappearance, early in the summer of this year, of alarm- 
ing consumptive symptoms in Mrs. Buchanan. In the course 
of the autumn she became so ill, that her life was for a short 
time despaired of; and on her partial recovery, being strongly 
urged to proceed a second time to Europe, she at length very 
reluctantly consented. 

Preparations were accordingly made for this purpose, and 
in October Mr. Buchanan briefly mentions in his diary, that 
he had been on board the Lady Jane Dundas to look at Mrs. 

* See " The College of Fort William," p. 163. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 163 

B.'s cabin. She did not, however, leave Calcutta till the 22d 
of January following, when Mr. Buchanan accompanied her 
and her youngest daughter to the ship at Kedgeree ; and on 
the 25th the fleet sailed for Madras, leaving him once more to 
return to a solitary home, full of tender but melancholy mus- 
ings ; hoping almost " against hope," for some favourable 
effect from her voyage, but rather endeavouring to prepare his 
mind for a contrary result. His memoranda testify the warmth 
of affection with which he again followed Mrs* Buchanan, by 
frequent notices of the letters which he Avrote to her weekly, 
and sometimes almost daily, and of which it is much to be 
regretted that not a vestige remains. > 

It was at the anxious period, which immediately preceded 
her departure from India, that Mr. Buchanan resolved to em- 
ploy a part of the very limited leisure which his ministerial 
and collegiate duties allowed, to prepare a work which had 
long been the subject of his thoughts, and the importance of 
which is now universally acknowledged. This was what he 
afterwards entitled, " A Memoir of the Expediency of an Ec- 
clesiastical Establishment for British India." 

During the century in which they had been gradually ac- 
quiring their oriental empire, the East India Company, intent 
on the pursuits of commerce and ambition, and contending fre- 
quently not merely for aggrandizement but for existence, were 
but little at leisure to attend to the moral and religious elaims 
even of their own servants ; much less to consider those of 
their native subjects to any thing beyond general protection, 
and the administration of justice ; and even to these, till of 
late years, but partially and imperfectly. Some provision, but 
of a very scanty and inadequate kind, was made for the supply 
of the spiritual wants of their European servants, by the es- 
tablishment of a few chaplains at each of the three Presiden- 
cies ; the number of whom was gradually increased as the Com- 
pany progressively extended its Indian territories. 

To those who from principles of infidelity, whether specu- 
lative or practical, or from the absorbing influence of worldly 
pursuits, were disposed to treat religion as a subordinate con- 
cern, to consider the most distant and transient attention to it 
as amply fulfilling its demands, and who, in the acquisition or 
consolidation of power amidst the half-civilized votaries of 
idolatry and imposture, were tremblingly alive to the danger of 
offending or alarming them, by the too prominent profession 
of a purer faith, it may be easily imagined, that the ecclesias- 
tical appointments in India were deemed sufficiently numerous 
and effective. But to the eye of christian observation, and 



164 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

even of enlightened policy, they had long been considered un- 
worthy of our public profession as a Protestant and religious 
empire, inadequate to the necessities of the European popula- 
tion, and inconsistent both with our interest and our duty as 
the almost undisputed sovereigns of India. The immense dis- 
tance which separates Great Britain and Hindostan, the com- 
paratively small number of those who are either acquainted 
with Indian affairs, or interested in their management, the pe- 
culiar nature of their direction by a commercial company, and 
the lateness of the period at which they assumed the aspect 
of political and territorial importance, all tended to involve the 
religious consideration of India in obscurity and neglect. The 
providence of God had, however, within the space of a few 
years, not only given to Great Britain a decided predomi- 
nance over every other European nation, but by the extinction 
of the Mohammedan, and the subjection of the Mahratta 
power, had in fact bestowed upon us the empire of India. 
An enlarged attention to the religious welfare of an augmented 
body of European servants, and to the political and moral im- 
provement of fifty millions of native subjects, was one of the 
necessary consequences of our Indian sovereignty — a result, 
however, which those whose views are principally directed to 
political aggrandizement, would, for the reasons already as- 
signed, be naturally slow to perceive and acknowledge ; but 
which the christian patriot and philosopher would be eager to 
anticipate and assert. It cannot, therefore, be a matter of sur- 
prise, that a subject so important in itself, and so intimately 
connected with his own profession and local situation, should 
have early occurred to the mind of such a diligent and wake- 
ful observer as Mr. Buchanan. The design of his " Memoir" 
was indeed, as he afterwards declared, first suggested to him 
by the late excellent Bishop Porteus ;* who had, he said, 
"attentively surveyed the state of our dominions in Asia," 
and had expressed his " conviction of the indispensable neces- 
sity of an ecclesiastical establishment for our Indian empire." 
He was encouraged also, as he added, " by subsequent com- 
munications with Marquis Wellesley, to endeavour to lead the 
attention of the nation to this subject." The manuscript of 
this work was transmitted to England in the spring, and pub- 
lished in the autumn of the year 1805. 

Before we proceed, however, with the consideration of his 
" Memoir," it will be proper to recur to the prizes proposed 

* See his " Christian Researches/' p. 273, and the first Dedication of hi* 
u Memoir," p. iv. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. SUCHANAX, 165 

by Mr. Buchanan to the Universities, and some of the public 
schools, of the United Kingdom. They were accepted in the 
summer of 1804, by the several bodies to which they were 
offered, with the exception of the University of Oxford ; by 
which they were declined, on the ground of certain objections 
in point of form. The prize compositions were directed to 
be delivered to the respective judges towards the end of the 
year ; and early in the following spring, the prizes were award- 
ed to the successful candidates. Of the compositions which 
were thus honoured, the greater number were afterwards pub- 
lished, as well as a few others, which had proved unsuccessful. 
In the University of Cambridge, the prize for the Greek ode 
was adjudged to Mr. Pryme, of Trinity college ; and at Eton 
to Mr. Rennell, afterwards Fellow of King's college. At the 
same distinguished school Mr. Richards obtained the prize for 
the best Latin verses on the college of Fort William. 

In Scotland, three Latin poems were also published, by Mr. 
Mac Arthur, Mr. Adamson, and Dr. Brown, of which the two 
former were thought worthy of the prize by the Universities 
of Glasgow and Aberdeen. The composition, however, which 
reflected the highest honour on its author, and on the occasion 
which called it forth, was the English poem on "the restora- 
tion of learning in the East," by Charles Grant, Esq., then Fel- 
low of Magdalen college, Cambridge. The poetical talents, the 
classical and oriental learning, the elevated sentiments, and the 
rich and varied command of language, displayed in this prize 
composition, attracted general admiration ; and tended materially 
to promote the design which the proposer of the subject had in 
view, by directing the public attention to the revival of learning 
on the banks of the Ganges, and by exciting it to the duty and 
the privilege of improving the condition of the degraded natives 
of Hindostan, and of spreading throughout our oriental empire 
the blessings of literature and religion. A second poem on this 
subject was published at the request of the examiners, by the 
Rev. Francis Wrangham, of Trinity College. 

Essays on u the best means of civilizing the subjects of the 
British empire in India, and of diffusing the light of the chris- 
tian religion throughout the eastern world,'' were published by 
the Rev. William Cockburn, Fellow of St. John's College, and 
Christian Advocate in the University of Cambridge, to whom 
the prize was assigned ; by Mr. W r rangham, who with lauda- 
ble zeal engaged in the prose as well as in the poetical compe- 
tition ; by Dr. Tennant, then lately returned as a military chap- 
lain from India ; and by Messrs. Mitchell and Bryce, to whom 



166 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the prize was respectively adjudged by the Universities of 
Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. 

These essays were, with one exception, the production of 
studious and speculative men, whose attention was probably 
first directed to the subject by Mr. Buchanan's proposal to the 
learned bodies of which they were members. Whilst it could 
scarcely, therefore, be expected that they should suggest any 
detailed practical arrangements for the civilization and instruc- 
tion of the natives of Hindostan, they exhibited considerable 
historical and political research, together with enlightened and 
benevolent views of the duty of Great Britain to promote the 
important objects submitted to their discussion, and concurred 
in recommending the adoption of certain direct means for dif- 
fusing the blessings of Christianity in India. They possessed 
the additional merit of contributing to bring before the public 
inquiries tending to ameliorate the moral and religious condi- 
tion of our oriental empire. 

The utility of the labours of missionaries, and the establish- 
ment of schools, was recognized by several of the writers last 
mentioned. The consideration, however, of an ecclesiastical 
establishment was reserved for Mr. Buchanan himself; whose 
" Memoir" upon that subject was intended to point out the ex- 
pediency of such a measure, " both as the means of perpetuat- 
ing the christian religion among our own countrymen, and as 
a foundation for the ultimate civilization of the natives." 

After the extensive circulation of the work itself, and the 
ample discussion of its subject, which we have witnessed ; 
more especially after the ecclesiastical appointments which have 
lately taken place, and which must be attributed chiefly to the 
original proposal and the persevering efforts of Mr. Buchanan, 
it will not now be necessary to enter much at large into the 
statements and reasonings of his able and interesting memoir. 
It will be sufficient to observe, that the first part of it exhibited 
the very inadequate state of the clerical establishment in India 
at that period, for the great purposes of the instruction and re- 
ligious communion of our resident countrymen. Upon this 
point, the facts and arguments adduced by Mr. Buchanan were 
conclusive as to the obligation and the policy of a more suitable 
provision for the due performance of the ordinances of the 
established religion. 

In the second part, he supposed such an establishment to 
taave been given to India, and proceeded to eonsider the result 
with respect to the civilization of the natives. After describing 
in just and forcible terms their actual condition — the pride, im- 
morality, and bigotry of the Mohammedans, and the vices, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 167 

enormities, and barbarities of Hindoo superstition and idolatry, 
Mr. Buchanan discussed at some length the practicability and 
the policy of attempting to civilize and improve them. In this 
part of his work he exhibited the character of the Hindoos in a 
different point of view from that in which they had been gene- 
rally regarded. He asserted that their apathy is extreme, and 
that no efforts to instruct them, except such as partook of a 
compulsory nature, ought to be considered as attended with 
danger to the British government; that their prejudices are 
daily weakening in every European settlement ; that they are 
a divided people ; that they are less tenacious of opinion than 
of custom ; and that to disseminate new principles among them 
is by no means so difficult as it is frequently represented. 

In support of the policy of the measure which he proposed, 
the arguments of Mr. Buchanan were irresistible. The single 
consideration, that the attachment of a people separated from 
their governors by a variety of moral and physical distinctions, 
without any mutual bond of union, must necessarily be preca- 
rious, and that such a connecting link can only be afforded by 
means of our religion, is a sufficient proof of this point. In 
obviating objections founded on the supposed impolicy of civil- 
izing our Indian subjects, Mr. Buchanan, however, advanced 
to higher ground. 

"The progressive civilization of India," he observes, "will 
never injure the interests of the East India Company. But 
shall a christian people, acknowledging a Providence in the 
rise and fall of empire, regulate the policy of future times, and 
neglect a present duty, a solemn and imperious duty, exacted by 
their religion, by their public principles, and by the opinion of 
the christian nations around them ? Or can it be gratifying to the 
English nation to reflect that they receive the riches of the East on 
the terms of chartering immoral superstition ?" Memoir, p. 40. 

The appeal was unanswerable, and produced a corresponding 
impression upon the public mind. 

The third part of Mr. Buchanan's memoir strongly confirm- 
ed his arguments as to the practicability of his proposed plan, 
by a view of the progress already made in civilizing the na- 
tions of Hindostan. Many interesting facts were here stated 
relative to the existence of Christianity in India from the ear- 
liest ages, and particularly respecting the native christians on 
the coast of Malabar, who, notwithstanding the accounts given 
of them by a few learned men, were now, for the first time, 
prominently introduced to the knowledge of the English pub- 
lic. The labours of the Danish missionaries, Ziegenbalg and 
Grundler, and of the apostolic Swartz, were also commemo- 



168 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

rated ; and the laudable and truly christian addresses of King 
George the First and Archbishop Wake to the former excel- 
lent men, were exhibited as models of imitation to political 
and ecclesiastical governors of the present day. 

The memoir itself was with great propriety, and in a strain 
of dignified and impressive eloquence, dedicated to his Grace, 
the late Archbishop of Canterbury, having been transmitted to 
this country before the death of that most reverend prelate was 
known in Bengal. 

An appendix to the memoir contained a variety of important 
information on the superstitions of the Hindoos, tending pow- 
erfully to correct the erroneous opinion so commonly enter- 
tained of them at this period, as a mild, humane, and inoffen- 
sive race. 

In advocating the expediency of an ecclesiastical establish- 
ment as a foundation for the ultimate civilization of the natives 
of India, Mr. Buchanan did not state at length the reasonings 
upon which he grounded his expectation of that important 
result. 

11 No immediate effect," he observes, " is to be expected 
from it in the way of revolution ; but it may be demonstrated 
by a deduction from facts, that the most beneficial conse- 
quences will follow in the way of ordinary effect from an ade- 
quate cause." P. 21. 

A detailed view of the intermediate steps between the cause 
and its supposed consequences, would, doubtless, as it was af- 
terwards suggested, have been a desirable addition to the argu- 
ments of his memoir. Mr. Buchanan, however, probably 
thought, that the concurring testimony of history as to the con- 
nexion between the profession and establishment of a religion 
by the governing power in a state, and its progressive influence 
among the people, was sufficiently known and acknowledged 
to authorize the general assertion just quoted; and it was not, 
perhaps, absolutely necessary to the conclusiveness of his 
proofs as to the expediency of an ecclesiastical establishment 
in India for both the important purposes stated in his memoir. 
Such was briefly the nature of the novel and interesting 
work which Mr. Buchanan transmitted to England in the year 
1805, for publication. It was calculated, from the peculiar 
subjects of which it treated, to excite general attention, and to 
provoke both discussion and animadversion. The considera- 
tion, however, of its reception and effect, must be suspended, 
while we revert to the intermediate course of this narrative. 

It had long been an object of anxiety to the superintendents 
of the college of Fort William to obtain a version of the scrip- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 169 

tures in the Chinese language. After many fruitless inquiries, 
they in this year succeeded in procuring the assistance of Mr. 
Lassar, a native of China, and an Arminian christian, whose 
name is now well known as a learned professor of that lan- 
guage. Mr. Lassar arrived at Calcutta in a commercial capa- 
city, and having met with some difficulties, he became known 
to Mr. Buchanan, who, appreciating his talents, generously 
liberated him from his embarrassments, and engaged him at a 
stipend of three hundred rupees per month to devote himself 
to the translation of the scriptures, and to the instruction of a 
Chinese class, formed of one of the elder, and three of the 
junior members of the missionary establishment at Serampore. 
The expected reduction of the college rendering it inexpedient 
that Mr. Lassar should be attached to that institution, this sti- 
pend was afforded for about three years at the sole expense of 
Mr. Buchanan. To his liberality, therefore,* must be chiefly 
ascribed the progress which has been made in that quarter to- 
wards supplying the vast empire of China with a translation 
of the sacred volume into its own extraordinary language. 

The name of Mr. Buchanan appears in the year 1805 in 
the list of members of the Asiatic Society. He had probably 
been elected previously to that period, and if he did not con- 
tribute to the curious and valuable " researches" of that learned 
body, it was not so much from any want of interest in their 
labours, as from the pressure of his various employments, 
which allowed him only to devote his leisure to inquiries which 
were exclusively of an ecclesiastical and religious nature. 

Two letters to one of his friends in this year contain proofs 
of the paternal anxiety with which Mr. Buchanan watched 
over the progress of the students of Fort William. The 
weekly reports of the different professors as to the proficiency 
of their classes were delivered to him every Saturday. Their 
representations, whether favourable or otherwise, were by him 
communicated to the college council, and ultimately, through 
them, or himself, as their organ, to the Governor General. 
Mr. Buchanan mentions several instances of the beneficial ef- 
fects of this watchful superintendence in stimulating even those 
who would otherwise have remained incorrigibly indolent to 
diligence and exertion. In a few cases the discipline which 
had been originally announced was firmly and impartially en- 
forced; sometimes, but very rarely, by absolute removal from 
college, and the consequent loss of promotion in the service ; 



* See the " Christian Researches," p. 11; Christian Observer for 1809, p. 601 ; 
and Dr. Marshman's Clavis Sinica, Preface, p. ii. 

P 



170 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

at others, by the kind intervention of Mr. Buchanan with the 
Governor General, in cases which admitted of apology or ex- 
cuse, by permission to retire, and an appointment which suffi- 
ciently marked the circumstances of inferiority in which the 
neglect of college duties had issued. Upon one such occasion 
Mr. Buchanan thus writes : 

11 It would have given me great satisfaction to have been able 
to send you such gratifying letters as I have often written, and 
am now writing, to various families in England, Scotland, and 
Ireland, respecting their sons who have passed a long period in 
diligent study, acquired honours, and then lucrative appoint- 
ments. But it has been ordered otherwise. Perhaps all will 
be well. Poor . . . ." (speaking of a student who had lately 
died,) "had certainly been cherishing solemn and serious pur- 
poses the fortnight before his death ; and he no doubt died the 
child of many prayers .... may yet prove himself to be 
the child of religious parents. Their case, however, speaks 
loudly to us who are fathers, teaching us to walk with humility 
and fear before God, committing our children to him in prayer 
and tears, and with much wrestling for a blessing on them w T hen 
they depart from us. The world says, ' He who hath chil- 
dren, hath given pledges to fortune.' The christian knows 
how this is to be translated." 

Upon the general subject of religion in Calcutta, Mr. Bu- 
chanan gave the following encouraging accounts to one of his 
correspondents : 

" We have had divine service at the mission church, lately, 
for the settlement. The punkas make it very pleasant ; but it 
was found to be too small for the auditory, many families going 
away every Sunday morning, seats being in general occupied 
an hour before service. 

" You will be glad to hear that still perseveres in 

listening to sacred things, as do muny other young political 
servants whom you do not know. The demand for religious 
books, particularly of evangelical principles, has been very 
great these two last years. Messrs. Dring told me they had 
sold an investment of fifty 8vo. Bibles in the course of three 
months." 

In a subsequent letter Mr. Buchanan thus continued his ac- 
count of ecclesiastical affairs, after prefacing it with an act of 
kindness to a clerical brother : 

" The bearer of this, the Rev. Mr. , requests me to 

^tate to you his hope that you will peruse his memorial refer- 
red by this government to the Court of Directors. He has 
been twenty-five years a chaplain here, and is now old and 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 171 

infirm. I assured him that every justice would be done by you 
in relation to his memorial, and that you would direct such an 
investigation of the circumstances as might be proper. 

" On account of the increase of our congregations we are 
about to have two morning services on Sunday, the first at seven 
o'clock, in the old church, and the second at the usual hour of 
ten, at the new. This is very agreeable to a great majority. 
Only Mr. Brown and myself will officiate at the old church. 
We shall, of course, (at least I shall,) continue to officiate as 
usual at the new." 

About this time Mr. Buchanan thus mentions to a friend and 
relative the mixed nature of the congregations in Calcutta : 

" We have some of all sects in our congregations ; Presby- 
terians, Independants, Baptists, Armenians, Greeks, and Nes- 
torians. And some of these are part of my audience at the 
English church. But a name or a sect is never mentioned 
from the pulpit ; and thus the word preached becomes profita- 
ble to all. 

" Even among the writers in the college there are Presby- 
terians, Independants, and Methodists. Their chief difficulty 
at first is from the ceremonies of the English church, which 
few of them ever witnessed till they came here. 

" I must lie down awhile and dictate to an amanuensis, for it 
is very hot. The thermometer is to-day near 110. 

" used in former life to prosecute all he took in 

hand with enthusiasm. He thought nothing done right, if not 
done with all his might. So, perhaps, it is in his religion and 
private life. He is actuated by a pure, genuine enthusiasm. 
Eternity, he says, has opened to his view, and he would save 
the souls of men. We shall judge him by his works a few 
years hence. * * * * 

" When the Hindoo had laid down the pen, and I had got 
up from my couch, he asked me what kind of a thing a Metho- 
dist was. I told him that it was a christian man in the little 
Isle of Britain, who prayed too much, and was « righteous over- 
much.' The lad stared, and said, How can that be ? So it is, 

said I ; behold that man, (pointing to 's picture,) who is 

reputed a Methodist in England, and is a subject of ridicule, on 
account of his excessive godliness. ' Among us,' replied the 
Hindoo; ■ he would thereby acquire the more reverence and 
veneration.' " 

At the close of one of the preceding letters, Mr. Buchanan 
expressed his fears as to the result of some public measures, 
concerning which he had formed sanguine expectations ; but 



172 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHAXAX. 

not long afterwards he wrote in a more animated, and, as be- 
fore, in a prophetic strain. 

" The war seems to be now near its close ; and it will pro- 
bably be followed by a long reign of peace in India. Having 
obtained complete dominion over it, we shall then bless it with 
the Word of Life ; and Christ will be once more glorified in 
the East." 

* The fourth annual disputations in the oriental languages 
in the college of Fort William were held this year in the month 
of February, in the presence of Marquis Wellesley and the 
superior members of the government. Upon this occasion it 
was maintained in Hindostanee, that M the oriental languages 
are studied with more advantage in India than in England, and 
with greater advantage to the public service." And in Persian, 
that that language is of more utility in the general administra- 
tion of the British empire in India than the Hindostanee." In 
addition to declamations in Bengalee and Arabic, one was pro- 
nounced for the first time in the Mahratta language. In the 
speech which Lord Wellesley delivered after the distribution 
of the prizes and honoraiy rewards, his lordship observed, 
that the general zeal, industry, and spirit of study in the college 
had not declined, notwithstanding the contraction of the sphere 
of emulation and competition by the separation which had now 
taken place of the gentlemen of the establishments of Fort St. 
George and Bombay. 

" Since the last meeting," continued his lordship, " the pro- 
motion of oriental knowledge in the British service in India 
has proceeded with increased success, by the progress of the 
studies and labours of the gentlemen of this college. 

11 The attention also of the officers and students of the col- 
lege appears to have been successfully directed to those im- 
portant objects of discipline, regularity, and good order, which 
formed an essential part of my recent admonitions from this 
place. 

" The most eminent and brilliant success in the highest ob- 
jects of study, will prove an inadequate qualification for the ser- 
vice of the Company, and of our country in India, if the just 
application of those happy attainments be not secured by a 
solid foundation of virtuous principles and correct conduct." 

The remainder of this elaborate address is occupied with a 
strong recommendation of the study of the laws and regula- 
tions enacted by the Governor General in Council, introduced 
by " that great and worthy statesman," as Lord Wellesley 

*See " The College of Fort William/' p. 139. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 173 

justly styles him, " the Marquis Cornwallis, and improved and 
extended by succeeding governments, with the aid of the tal- 
ents, knowledge, and virtues of Sir George Barlow," for the 
administration of the British territories subject to the Presi- 
dency of Bengal. 

In consequence of the reduction in the extent of the college 
of Fort William, referred to in the preceding speech, the Go- 
vernor General thought it expedient, by a minute in council, 
dated the 30th of April, 1805, to declare, that the duties at 
present committed to the Provost and Vice-Provost of the col- 
lege might be performed in future by one officer only, with 
the designation of Provost. His excellency, however, deemed 
it to be proper, in consideration, as he was pleased to express 
it, " of the highly meritorious and useful services rendered to 
the college by the present Provost and Vice-Provost, Mr. 
Brown and Mr. Buchanan," to postpone the adoption of this 
arrangement until a vacancy should occur in one of those 
offices, provided that the Honourable the Court of Directors 
should be pleased to sanction the continuance of the allowances 
to the Provost and Vice-Provost until that time. 

By the same minute, the Governor General rescinded that 
part of the original regulation of the college, by which pen- 
sions were to be eventually granted to certain of its officers, 
including the Provost and Vice-Provost, until the farther plea- 
sure of the Court of Directors should have been received. 

The extensive plan of the college of Fort William had 
never been approved by one distinguished correspondent of 
Mr. Buchanan, to whom he had been in the habit of commu- 
nicating his own views upon that subject. This disapproba- 
tion, it appears, had been plainly expressed to him ; in conse- 
quence of which, early in this year, he briefly notices it in the 
following reply : 

" I have forborne saying any thing to you respecting the 
college, its founder, and his Indian policy, since my senti- 
ments on these subjects can afford you no pleasure, as you 
observe in your last. It appears, in fact, that, since the com- 
mencement of the institution, I have been looking to one ob- 
ject, and you to another. In its dignity and extent, I perceived 
a radical revolution in the European character, the future civili- 
zation of India, and the foundation of an Ecclesiastical Es«* 
tablishment. And these results appear to be in a course of ac- 
complishment. 

" Good men in England are yet in ignorance respecting the 
purpose or effects of this institution. I mean therefore to pub- 
lish shortly all the official papers relating to this college, with 

r 2 



174 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

some account of its first four years. This will be acceptable 
to many, and useful to all. In the mean time I have written a 
short Memoir on an Ecclesiastical Establishment and Indian 
Civilization, a copy of which I have directed the bookseller to 
send to yon." 

The work thus announced by Mr. Buchanan respecting the 
college, was accordingly compiled in the spring of 1805, and 
transmitted, together with his Ecclesiastical Memoir, to this 
country, where it was published towards the end of the year. 
It was entitled, "The College of Fort William in Bengal." 
Mr. Buchanan did not affix his name to this publication ; but 
it was well known to have proceeded from him, and he after- 
wards acknowledged it. A short prefatory note states, that 
the volume contains the official papers and the literary pro- 
ceedings of the college during its first four years ; and it was 
intended to form a record of the nature and operations of that 
institution during the period in which alone its founder could 
be considered as ans-werable for its success ; an important re- 
duction of its original plan having then taken place. It is to 
this volume that reference has been frequently made in the 
preceding pages, in noticing the rise and progress of the East- 
ern college. Besides the documents which have been already 
mentioned relative to the foundation, the statutes, and the de- 
fence of the college, and the disputations of the first four 
years, it contains the public examinations in regular series, 
with a list of the students who had entered on service, and a 
register of those who had obtained degrees of honour ; a cata- 
logue of works in the oriental languages and literature, pub- 
lished by members of the college since its commencement ; the 
names and offices of those who had borne any part in the con- 
duct of the institution ; and some remarks by the Editor on 
the primary establishment of the college, and on the operation 
of its first four years. 

In these remarks, Mr. Buchanan, after noticing the neces- 
sity and importance of such an institution, which had been 
proved by its triumph over the most powerful and systematic 
opposition, observes, that the publication of an hundred origi- 
nal volumes in the oriental languages and literature in the term 
of four years, is no inconsiderable proof of the flourishing 
state of the college, as a literary institution. That was, how- 
ever, but one of its subordinate objects. 

" The distinguished proficiency of the students in the orien- 
tal languages," says Mr. Buchanan, "is the proof we would 
propose of the efficiency, utility, and undoubted success of the 
college of Fort William. That proficiency is great, perhaps 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 175 

beyond example. Gentlemen who have been at different 
Universities in Europe, acknowledge that they never witness- 
ed at any of them more numerous instances of ardent applica- 
tion to study, than at the college of Fort William. The mathe- 
matical vigils of Cambridge are perhaps more severe than 
ours; (though even with us there have been instances of six- 
teen hours a day reading, and a voyage to sea in consequence 
for recovery of health ;) but the instances of close application 
at Cambridge are not so general as at Fort William, in propor- 
tion to the number of students." 

The two chief excellencies of this institution upon which* 
Mr. Buchanan insists in his remarks, are, that it afforded to 
young men the opportunity of completing the usual course of 
an English education, as well as of learning the oriental lan- 
guages ; and that it gave to all the civil servants in India equal 
advantages of instruction, and of consequent promotion in the 
service. 

In a series of farther remarks, Mr. Buchanan points out 
the moral and economical benefits of the college, which have 
been already alluded to ; particularly its influence in prevent- 
ing the junior servants of the Company from incurring a load 
of debt, by which they had been formerly oppressed. He 
mentions also the remarkable fact, that during the period of 
four years there had not been one duel, and but one death, 
among the students of this oriental college. It appears, in- 
deed, as if these indefatigable young men, like a great military 
commander of a former age, had never been sufficiently at 
leisure to be vicious. 

The work from which this sketch of the institution to which 
they belonged, and of the labours of all its officers and mem- 
bers has been derived, will be perused with high gratification 
by those who feel the importance, and are interested in the 
perpetuity, and the just and beneficial administration of our 
Indian empire.* 

* In passing from the history of the College of Fort William, it will not be 
inappropriate to notice the establishment of another literary institution at Cal- 
cutta, which promises to accomplish more for the cause of Christianity than the 
plan of the former would have permitted. In the year 1818, Bishop Middle- 
ton addressed the Society for the " Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," 
in relation to the establishment of a Mission College, near Calcutta. The pur- 
poses which he proposed, were the instruction of Mussulmans and Hindoos in 
the English language and in useful knowledge, the education of native and 
European christians in the doctrines of the Church of England, so as to fit 
them for the offices of schoolmasters, eatechists, and ministers, and the recep- 
tion of missionaries sent from England before they were appointed to their re- 
spective stations. It was also proposed that the Scriptures and the Book of 
Common Prayer should be translated into the Eastern languages by the learned 



17G MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

Towards the end of the year 1804, and the commencement 
of the following year, a considerable degree of opposition to 
the doctrines inculcated by Messrs. Brown and Buchanan had 
been manifested by two or three of the other chaplains of the 
Presidency. Mr. Buchanan was in consequence induced to 
preach a series of discourses on the doctrinal Articles of the 
Church of England. These sermons were of a very superior 
order, and were productive of a corresponding effect, in check- 
ing the clamour which had given birth to them. In an intro- 
ductory discourse, from the direction of St. Paul to Titus, to 
11 speak the things which become sound doctrine," Mr. Bu- 
chanan took occasion to state the importance of that digest of 
the principal points of christian faith exhibited in the Articles, 
Homilies, and Liturgy of our Church. He afterwards in- 
troduced some admirable remarks on the new complexion 
which some of her doctrines have derived from the spirit of 

men who should be connected with the College, and the versions be published 
under its auspices. 

This proposal was cordially received by the Society, and measures were 
taken to establish a College on the plan proposed by Bishop Middleton. Col- 
lections were authorized for the promotion of the object, in the churches 
throughout England, and such was the zeal manifested on the occasion, that 
upwards of £50,000 was collected. The Society for Promoting Christian 
Knowledge, and the Church Missionary Society, contributed £5,000 each, for 
the College buildings, and the latter commenced in 1822, an annual appropria- 
tion of £1000, which was continued for many years afterwards. The College 
has at present a permanent endowment of upwards of £100,000. 

The corner-stone of the College edifice was laid by Bishop Middleton on the 
15th of December, 1S20. It was designated by him in this act as " the Episcopal 
Mission College of the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
in Foreign parts, to be commonly known as Bishop's College, near Calcutta." 

The College has since been completed upon the tract of land on the Hoogly 
granted by the government. It is of the Gothic order of architecture, and is of 
sufficient extent for the accommodation of the Professors and seventy students. 
It has connected with it a printing press for the purposes previously specified, 
and a handsome chapel and library. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Mill, the principal Professor, with his family, took up 
his residence in the College. In 1827, its inmates were three professers with 
their families, two missionaries and eleven students, one of whom was an Ar- 
menian Deacon. 

In the year 1834, Bishop Wilson states the number of students to be only 
eight, with two professors, one of whom has since been recalled, but writes 
of the College in one of his letters in the following terms : 

" Bishop's College is capable of becoming the centre of missionary proceed- 
ings in India. The temporary delays and embarrassments attending its first 
ten or twenty years, I think nothing of. A College is of slow growth : confi- 
dence and efficiency are the offspring of many circnmstances'and many bene- 
dictions, which no human means can command. It is a grand thing to have 
the College at all. There it stands — erected by the piety of England — com- 
plete in all its parts — and entirely successful, as a design and platform for 
future good." 

This passage is quoted from the London Missionary Register, from which 
work and from the life of Bishop Heber, the foregoing particulars are derived. 

Am. Ed. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 177 

the times, from inattention to the religion of Christ, and the 
ignorance and prejudice consequent upon it, and upon the ne- 
cessity of caution in expressing those points which are repug- 
nant to human pride, or which may be thought by some to be 
at variance with human reason. He exemplified this in the 
manner of stating the doctrine of justification by faith, and of 
the use of the moral law under the dispensation of the gospel. 
The following practical observation upon this part of his sub- 
ject is particularly excellent : 

44 Now if any one should say, 4 I cannot yet understand this 
argument of the apostle, or see how faith can thus work by 
love, and establish the law ;' we can only answer, that must 
be because you have not sought or known the justifying 
righteousness of Christ ; which the apostle saith is previously 
necessary to your having any sense of that love and gratitude, 
of which he speaks. Perhaps you have not come to God and 
his word with the disposition required. Perhaps to this mo- 
ment the scriptures are to you a dead letter ; and you have 
never prayed for the aid of that Spirit which giveth them life, 
with any hope or serious expectation of obtaining it. Perhaps 
in your inquiry after the truth you have not maintained that 
purity of heart and practice which is required by the precept 
of our Saviour : 4 If any man will do the will of God, he 
shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.' " 

At the close of this sermon, Mr. Buchanan thus announced 
his intention as to the subject of some succeeding discourses : 

" My brethren, you cannot be indifferent as to what kind of 
doctrines are delivered to you. Your regular attendance on the 
worship of God demonstrates that you are serious ; and if 
there be seriousness on your part, it becomes us to show some 
zeal on ours. 

"If at any time you perceive a discrepancy of opinion re- 
garding doctrine, let it excite you to inquire into the truth for 
yourselves ; and it will have a happy consequence." 

Adverting to the tendency there was at that day to withdraw 
from the principles of our forefathers both in religion and 
morals, he added, " I purpose to preach a series of discourses 
on the chief doctrines of our Church, as contained in her Ar- 
ticles, Liturgy, and Homilies ; and to illustrate them from the 
lives and writings of our first Reformers, and of our most 
learned and pious divines. The object will be to show, what 
that religion was, which enabled our bishops to become mar- 
tyrs to the faith, and to contrast its genuine principles with the 
doctrines frequently set forth at this day. 

44 Every thing spoken from this place ought to be spoken 



178 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

for edification. We are accounted the stewards of the mys- 
teries of God : and we shall soon be called to srive an account 
of our stewardship. 

" To obtain your approbation is desirable : but the great 
object of our ministry ought to be, to lead you to the exercise 
of every christian grace and virtue; to unfold to you the beauty 
and harmony of the gospel, its power, influence, consolations, 
and reward ; and to obtain your testimony after we are gone, 
that we have not * shunned to declare unto you the whole 
counsel of God.' M 

In the second of this valuable series of discourses, from the 
words of the prophet Isaiah, chap. lx. 2, " For. behold, the 
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people/' 
Mr. Buchanan thought it necessary to consider the state of the 
church previously to the Reformation, in order that the mag- 
nitude of the blessing then vouchsafed to our country might be 
more justly estimated. He described in striking terms the 
mental bondage of the people under the dominion of the Ro- 
mish church, and the means employed to perpetuate that bond- 
age, by withholding the scriptures from them. He farther 
stated the grand doctrine of antichrist on which the whole 
fabric of his superstition was built ; namely, M that a man 
could justify himself in the sight of God by his own merits 
and observances ;*' thereby dishonouring the sacrifice, and de- 
preciating the merits of our Saviour ; and showed that the 
chief article of the Reformation, properly so called, was our 
justification by the sole merits of Christ ; and that this doc- 
trine was declared by our Reformers to be the symbol of the 
true church, and the corner-stone of our redemption. 

The succeeding sermon contained an animated view of the 
reformation from popery in this country ; of the translation of 
the scriptures into our native languuge, and the eagerness with 
which they were read by all ranks of the people ; and of the 
first great labour of our venerable Reformers in setting forth in 
the Articles the chief doctrines of scripture, in elucidating 
them clearly to the people by the Homilies, and in establish- 
ing by the Liturgy an unity of faith and worship. A sketch 
was then given of the temporary revival oi popery and the 
persecution of protestantism, under the reign of Queen Mary, 
of the happy restoration of the Reformed Faith, and the long 
period of peace and tranquillity which followed ; of the tri- 
umph of fanaticism in the subsequent age, and finally of the 
rise and progress of infidelity in our own. Upon these two 
last topics some admirable observations were made : and as at 
the time when Mr. Buchanan delivered these discourses, it was 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 179 

impossible to foresee how far the reign of infidelity might ex- 
tend, he occupied the remainder of his third sermon in warning 
his distinguished auditory against its snares, and in exhorting 
them to diligent examination and inquiry. 

" Wherever we may suspect a deviation from rectitude of 
opinion, let us look in general to the first principles of our 
church, which have been engrafted in our laws and constitu- 
tion, which have been honoured and acknowledged of God, 
proved in the day of trial, and found perfect. Let us examine 
ourselves, whether, after making every allowance for the dif- 
ferent state of society, there be any correspondence between 
our religious principles, and those of the fathers of our church. 
These principles are unalterable in their importance ; they suf- 
fer no diminution by civil improvement, or by the expansion 
of knowledge. The doctrines of God respect the state of the 
soul, and the condition of man by nature ; and 4 are the same 
yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' The reasons which urged 
our forefathers to lay down their lives for the truth, ought to 
be known and felt by us. Since their time, the same truth 
has been confirmed by additional testimonies ; if we obey it 
not, we sin against our own souls ; and God hath said, that he 
will not urge his proofs and evidences on us beyond a certain 
limit. When the conscience and understanding of a man con- 
demn him, he has no reason to expect any additional evidence 
of the truth ; but rather a diminution of its weight, by his 
habit of neglecting it." 

This able and interesting sermon closed with a faithful ap- 
peal to the consciences of his hearers as to various points of 
religious declension and neglect, and with a series of devout 
aspirations for the progress and permanence of religion in our 
own country. 

" Let us pray," said Mr. Buchanan, " that our country may 
ever continue to be, in this sense, a light to the world, and an 
example to the nations ; and that God may continue to send 
the light of his truth into the hearts of kings and of all that 
be in authority, that the kingdom may ever be governed accord- 
ing to his will ; and that in particular, we, in this place, who 
are in an especial manner the light of the nations around us, 
and whose example must pervade so many of our countrymen, 
may never want a succession of wise and good men, in respect- 
able stations, to uphold the interests of true religion and vir- 
tue ; so shall the circumstances of our residence in this country 
be improved as much as may be ; we shall be grateful for the 
benefits we enjoy, and we shall know better how to enjoy 



180 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

them, at the same time that we shall have more reason to ex- 
pect a continuance of the divine blessing amongst us." 

The fourth discourse in this series on the words of St. Paul, 
44 In Adam all die," contained an elaborate statement of the 
doctrine of the fall, and consequent corruption of mankind, as 
the groundwork of the christian dispensation. " Unless we 
have a distinct knowledge," observed Mr. Buchanan, 44 of 
what we are by nature, that is, of the state of the soul in the 
sight of God, as born of Adam, we shall never be able to appre- 
ciate the blessing of the great atonement. Without a just 
view of this primary doctrine, the other doctrines of the 
New Testament will appear to be inconsistent, or without 
foundation. Our justification by Christ, the second Adam, and 
the influence of the Holy Spirit in renewing the corrupt 
heart, will be accounted doctrines of a mystical nature, or they 
will be interpreted in a sense suited to the prejudices or pas- 
sions of men." 

The method adopted by Mr. Buchanan in this sermon, after 
previously adverting to the knowledge of the subject attainable 
by the light of nature, was first, to state those passages of 
scripture on which the doctrine of original sin is founded, and 
to which our church refers ; to set forth the terms in which the 
church expresses herself on the subject, both in the letter of 
the article, and in her illustrations of it ; and, lastly, to declare 
the deviations from the original sense which have taken place, 
and also the arguments of the recent philosophy in their favour. 
He afterwards took occasion to confirm his own representations 
by an extract from the Bishop of Lincoln's 44 Elements of 
Christian Theology," upon which he founded the following 
brief improvement of the whole subject: 

44 If we are indeed in a lost and fallen state, exposed to the 
displeasure of God, (as is testified even by the miseries of this 
life,) how much doth it become us to consider how we are to 
be restored to his favour and mercy. 

44 It is no mark of our penitence, or of a right disposition, to 
allege that we are not liable to judgment for the sin of our na- 
ture. The accumulation of guilt by actual sin is sufficient to 
condemn every man ; it condemns him now at the bar of con- 
science, and ought to urge him to the most serious reflection 
on the state of his soul in the sight of God. The delusion of 
many is this : they suppose that the expressions of scripture 
concerning a renovation of heart relate merely to some moral 
reformation, independent of the Spirit of God. But the reno- 
vation there intended is not independent of the Spirit of God. 
The expressions alluded to are founded on the present ruined 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 181 

state of the soul ; and they constitute the great realities of re- 
vealed truth. If it he true that our nature is vitiated hy the 
taint of Adam's sin, it is true also that the heart must be sanc- 
tified by the Spirit of God before it can be restored to his image 
or favour. 

M We must be renewed, (saith the apostle,) in the spirit of 
our minds, and be transformed into the 'image and likeness' of 
the second Adam, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to seek 
and to save that which was lost." 

The next sermon was on the redemption and restoration of 
mankind by Jesus Christ, from Romans iii. 23 — 31. In the 
discussion of this most important subject, Mr. Buchanan first 
inquired what method God was pleased to adopt for the salva- 
tion of guilty man, in consistency with his own justice ; and 
then stated the objections which are sometimes made to that 
mode of salvation. 

After describing the plan of redemption which unbelievers 
and Socinians allege to be alone consistent with our natural 
ideas of divine justice and mercy, Mr. Buchanan decisively re- 
plied, that this method of salvation was not adopted, because 
in the first place, man could not, as they propose, "keep the 
moral law ;" and in the next, because he is already in a state 
of condemnation. Justification by the grace of God, through 
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, and by faith in his 
blood, is the "wholesome and comfortable doctrine" which 
was then established. In replying to the denial of this doctrine 
by the Socinians, Mr. Buchanan added the following important 
observation : 

" This doctrine of justification by works is in substance also 
the doctrine of the Romish church ; and it will always be the, 
popular doctrine among christians who have little true religion, 
by whatever denomination they may be called. For it is the 
doctrine of the world; it is found where the name of Christ is 
not known; and it is the spirit of every false religion and 
superstition upon earth." 

The succeeding passage, which concluded the sermon on 
the nature of justifying faith, and on the security afforded by 
that doctrine to the interests of morality, is in a strain of scrip- 
tural and elevated piety, which cannot but be acceptable to the 
reader. 

" It is true that some who hold this doctrine of justification 
by works, use the expressions of scripture, and will perhaps allow 
that faith is necessary to salvation. But what kind of faith is by 
them intended ? If a man believe in the general truth of the 
christian religion, he is said by them to have/aiVA. If his m> 

U 



182 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

derstanding be convinced by its evidences, he is accounted by 
them to have faith. And this faith also, saith the apostle James, 
1 have the devils, for they also believe. ' All men, whose un- 
derstandings are not obscured by pride or evil passion, must 
believe the evidence of the christian religion, but they have 
not, therefore, that faith in the blood of Christ which justifies 
the guilty soul. The faith which so justifies is the ' gift of 
God ;' it is a reliance on the propitiation of Christ, wrought in 
the soul of the penitent sinner by the operation of God's Holy 
Spirit. 

44 It is a faith which cannot be understood by any one who 
has passed through life a stranger 4 to the tears of repentance.' 
If he cannot recollect any interval of contrition of heart for his 
past sins, any season of earnest prayer to be accepted in Christ, 
and to obtain an interest in his atonement, it is not probable 
that he can have any knowledge of a saving faith. Such an 
one will not understand our church when she saith, 4 that a man 
is justified by his faith in Christ only,' and 4 that works are 
shut out from the office of justifying.' The language of the 
scriptures and of our church must ever continue to be equally 
doubtful to him ; some casual notice of their doctrines may be 
taken, but he will never enter with delight or with confidence 
into the spirit and elucidation of them. 

44 We shall conclude with showing that the interests of mo- 
rality are best secured by a true faith in our Redeemer. 

44 It is worthy of observation, that though our church teaches 
that the sinner is justified by faith only, she has never been 
accused of neglecting good works ; and though the apostle 
Paul teaches that the sinner is justified by faith only, he has 
never been charged with overlooking moral duties. It is pro- 
bable, then, that the doctrine of both is favourable to virtuous 
practice. Both insist fully on moral duties, and both deduce 
the right performance of these duties from a justifying faith; 
they show that the right performance springs from it, and that 
without it we cannot please God in any duty. 

44 The true doctrine of our church is, that every man's per- 
son must be accepted in Christ before he can do any thing 
pleasing and acceptable to God ; that is, he must be considered 
as a friend, and not as an enemy ; as one reconciled to God 
through the death of his Son, and not 4 as far off and alienated 
from him ;' as an adopted child of God, and not as of the 
world. 

44 The doctrine of our church maintains, that no man can 
glorify God by his works until he be restored to the favour of 
God through that faith which justifies his person ; that until 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 183 

the heart be purified by the grace of God, and the motives of 
action be under the influence of his Spirit, we can neither glo- 
rify God in our business nor in our devotions, neither in soli- 
tude nor in a tumult, neither by abstinence nor by festivity. Our 
works, however, will ever testify of our faith, of what sort it is ; 
whether it be a general belief in Christianity, which is common 
to good and bad men, or a true and lively faith wrought in the 
heart by the Spirit of God, and 'leading the soul captive to 
the obedience of Christ.' 

" Many who, for a time, resisted the doctrine of 'justifica- 
tion by faith,' have at last embraced it as the only hope of sal- 
vation. Oftentimes, in the season of sickness or of affliction, 
when the soul is humbled, and begins to take a review of her 
past sins, and to look out earnestly for a right foundation of 
her hope, the pride of moral merit is abandoned, and she is ena- 
bled, through the grace of God, to view the great propitiation 
for her sins, and to exercise a lively faith in its efficacy. 

" Then it is that the doctrine will be perceived to be, what 
our church calls it, ' a most wholesome doctrine, and very full 
of comfort.' It is wholesome, because it will urge the soul to 
good works, from a principle of love to the Redeemer who has 
justified her, from a sense of that unmerited mercy by which 
she is saved, and from a gratitude which will ever render her 
duties not a task, but a labour of love, in which she is willingly 
engaged. 

" This doctrine is also 'full of comfort ;' for now the soul 
hath peace with God. In her former state, while she depend- 
ed on a righteousness of her own, there was no peace ; but 
doubt, and fear, and misgivings of conscience. But now there 
is peace, because there is acceptance; and there is acceptance, 
because the soul appears in a righteousness not her own, even 
in the complete righteousness of Christ, by which she is 
restored in a measure to the image of God, reconciled to his 
favour, and thus becomes an heir of the promises, and of eter- 
nal life." 

The last of these admirable discourses was on the nature 
and necessity of the operation of the Spirit of God to lead the 
soul to accept of the redemption which had been previously 
described. 

" Our church teaches," observed Mr. Buchanan, " that the 
grace of God is necessary to produce in us repentance from 
dead works to a life of righteousness, to enlighten our minds 
in all necessary truth, and to inspire the soul with a steadfast 
faith in the word of God." 

This view of the doctrine of our church was next confirmed 



184 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

by the tenth article, and elucidated by a second quotation from 
the "Elements of Christian Theology.'' The transforming 
effects produced by the operation of the Spirit on the hearts 
of men, which are sometimes denominated " repentance unto 
life," sometimes " conversion of the heart," and sometimes 
" the being born again," were then considered ; after which, 
the following objection to the doctrine of divine grace was 
thus noticed, and satisfactorily answered : 

" It is alleged," observed Mr. Buchanan, " that the grace of 
God, if it operate at all, must be irresistible, and if irresistible, 
then is free-will destroyed, and man can no longer act as a vo- 
luntary agent, and an accountable being. It is indeed difficult 
for us to comprehend how the foreknowledge of God can be 
consistent with the free-will of man ; but then this is a diffi- 
culty which is common to all systems of religion and philoso- 
phy, and it ought not to be once mentioned as being peculiar 
to the christian religion, or as invalidating any doctrine which 
it teaches. It is one of those difficulties which are equally 
obvious to all, even to the meanest capacities, and whose solu- 
tion is equally remote from all. It is left unnoticed in scripture, 
as if to humble the pride of human understanding, and to baffle 
the reason of man ' attempting to find out his Maker to per- 
fection.' But at the same time it seems to assure us of another 
state of being, where higher degrees of knowledge and of in- 
tellect shall be bestowed. As to man's freedom of will in act- 
ing the part of a rational and accountable creature, it is con- 
stantly testified in scripture. The whole word of God seems 
to be addressed to men who have perfect freedom of will to 
use the means of salvation. In reply to what is alleged by 
some of the irresistible effects of grace, we are warned 'not 
to receive the grace of God in vain,' ' not to quench the Spirit, 
nor to do despite to the Spirit of grace.' And our church 
plainly declares the same thing in the following w r ords : ' After 
we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace 
given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God we may arise 
again and amend our lives.' This doctrine will discover itself 
to the humble inquirer, (w r ho will put its efficacy to the proof,) 
as being perfectly consistent with his most rational ideas of the 
communication of the divine assistance. It is moreover the very 
fountain of life to the soul ; for without the aid of God's Spirit, a 
christian will make no nearer approaches to heaven by his learn- 
ing, labours, and works than a heathen. Until the Spirit of God 
regenerate the heart, all hearts must remain in their natural 
state in the sight of God. Some men may be more civilized 
than others ; some more learned, more humane, more benevo- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 185 

lent, more virtuous; as it was in the heathen world, in different 
ranks, families, and individuals. But spiritual life there is 
none. They are still children of the first Adam, and will 
continue to be such till they are renewed in their minds by 
the power of the divine Spirit, and are made to * bear the 
image of the heavenly.' " 

Here Mr. Buchanan closed his elaborate and eloquent expo- 
sition of the leading doctrines of our church. The conclusion 
of the whole is, however, so important, and exhibits the cha- 
racter of the author of these sermons, as a preacher, and as an 
able and faithful minister of the gospel, in so just and elevated 
a point of view, that his biographer could not consider himself 
as doing justice to his subject, were he to omit it ; though to 
some it may appear, that this, as well as a former extract, is 
scarcely within the appropriate limits of these memoirs. 

" 1 have now, my brethren, set before you those important 
doctrines of our church, which are certainly too much neglect- 
ed at this day. The purpose I had in view will be answered, 
if it excite in those who doubt or misapprehend them, a se- 
rious inquiry into their truth and importance. The sources of 
knowledge are open to all. It is always an advantage to the 
truth to be fully tried, examined, and compared. The very 
doubts of men are useful to it, in putting it upon its defence, 
and leading to its better confirmation. Let us not then supinely 
suffer any innovation in the doctrines of our church, since we 
are able to judge for ourselves, and can refer 'to the law and 
to the testimony.' 

" The doctrines which we have discussed are commonly 
called the doctrines of grace ; and with propriety, for they are 
the peculiar doctrines of the gospel. They exalt and glorify 
the Creator, and humble the creature ; they are at unity with 
themselves, and harmonize with each other ; he who receives 
one of them, will receive them all; and he who rejects one, 
will reject them all. 

" The preaching the doctrines of grace differs from preach- 
ing morality on merely human motives, as light from darkness. 
The preachers among the heathen around us, and the teachers 
of philosophy without religion, can say, f Thou shalt not kill, 
thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness ;' they 
can inculcate justice, prudence, and temperance, from very 
strong and very persuasive motives ; but they cannot teach 
those good works which flow from the christian doctrines of 
grace. They cannot teach a hatred of sin, or a contrition of 
heart for offending God ; they cannot teach us ■ to bless them 
which persecute us, and to pray for them who despitefully wse 

Q2 



186 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

us.' They cannot suppress envies, secret resentments, and 
evil speakings against those who differ from us in opinion. 
They cannot produce love to God, a lively gratitude for his 
daily mercies, and delight in his service. They cannot urge 
us to labour in the word and doctrine according to our profes- 
sion, our ability, or our means ; and to be anxiously concerned 
about the salvation of the souls of men. Finally, they cannot 
teach us patience in affliction, joy in tribulation, and a well- 
founded hope in death. 

" The grand test of the truth of the doctrines of grace is 
their influence at the hour of death. This is a proof which is 
ever present with the church of Christ, and which will in 
every place distinguish the true doctrine from the false. 

" No sinner ever yet departed this life with a lively hope in 
God, and with confidence of salvation by his Redeemer, who 
was a stranger to the doctrines of grace. No christian, who 
denies these doctrines, can have any hope that he will be ena- 
bled to triumph at his last hour, ' desiring to depart as being 
far better ;' and thus leave to his family behind him a testimony 
to the truth by his steadfast faith. 

" By some, such a dissolution is not expected in any cir- 
cumstances ; such a testimony is not looked for. They hear, 
indeed, of such instances among others, but they are willing 
to believe that they are not true, for if they be, they know that 
their own hope cannot rest on the right foundation. 

" All preaching ought to have reference to the sinner's hope 
in death; for whatever is short of this, is doing nothing for 
eternity. We must all soon come to that state when the doc- 
trines which we have individually received will be put to the 
proof, and their efficacy manifested to others ; we must soon 
be in those circumstances, when every vain refuge shall be 
swept away, and the truth of God shall alone prevail. 

"I have discharged a duty, my brethren, in setting plainly 
before you those doctrines of our religion, which I am myself 
fully convinced can alone produce the fruits of righteousness 
and the good works of the New Testament. I am further 
convinced that they alone can give peace to the soul, and com- 
fort in death. They are the doctrines of the Church of Eng- 
land, the good old religion of our ancestors, without taint of 
Romish corruption, of Socinianism, or of modern philosophy. 
Nor am I conscious of having used a single expression or sen- 
timent which does not accord with the language and spirit of 
our church and of the holy scriptures ; and I must continue to 
believe this, till I am convinced of the contrary by well-ordered 
proof. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 187 

11 These are the doctrines which I have ever maintained, and 
-which I ever desire to uphold in my ministry ; and on what- 
ever other subjects I may occasionally dwell, the truth and 
admission of these doctrines is always to be understood. 

44 It is easy to discourse on more pleasing and popular sub- 
jects, but it is not so profitable to you. Some may not ap- 
prove, but to others ' the word preached may be made the 
power of God unto salvation.' If our doctrine give no offence 
to the world in general, ye know that it can be no longer the 
doctrine of Christ. It is ' another gospel.' It is a doctrine 
which may confirm our hearers in error, and lead them onward 
to old age with no better view of heavenly things than that of 
the infidel. 

" It is a view of our lost estate by nature, and actual guilt 
in the sight of God, and then a view of the great propitiation 
on the cross, which alone can open to our understandings the 
transcendant and ineffable glory of the gospel of Christ. Nor 
can such a view be exhibited, even in the lowest degree, but 
by the influence of the divine grace, co-operating with our 
prayers, by enlightening the judgment and purifying the heart. 

" But the aid of the Holy Spirit 4 is promised to them who 
ask it.' Thus are we encouraged to begin the work of our 
salvation in the most rational manner, and by the most natural 
means. And those who can prevail on themselves to begin 
thus seriously, will find the truth of God's promises confirmed 
to them in every progressive stage of religious knowledge and 
practical virtue. 

" The life of such persons is thus described in one of the 
articles of the church, commencing from the period of their 
first seeking the aid of the divine Spirit, unto the end of their 
course. 

"'Wherefore they be called, according to God's purpose, 
by his Spirit working in due season ; 

" i They, through grace, obey the calling ; 

11 ■ They be justified freely ; 

'• J They be made sons of God by adoption ; 

" y They be made like the image of his only begotten Son, 
Jesus Christ; 

" ' They walk religiously in good works, and at length, by 
God's mercy, 

44 ■ They attain to everlasting felicity.' " 

The impression of these sermons upon his audience w T as, 
as we have already observed, considerable. There were 
probably some whose prejudices or whose passions would 
render them proof against both the reasonings and the exhorta- 



188 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

tions of their author, though the one were unquestionably 
sound and scriptural, and the other powerful and persuasive. 
There were doubtless, however, others who were instructed, 
confirmed, and edified by his labours; while these, whether 
accepted or refused, afford an evidence of his fidelity as a mi- 
nister and ambassador of Christ, which will hereafter "testify 
for him before his glorious throne." 



CHAPTER IV. 

In prosecution of the design which Mr. Buchanan had con- 
ceived of effectually exciting the public attention in this coun- 
try to the obligations of Great Britain to promote the religious 
welfare of its oriental dominions, and which he had already 
partially executed by the proposal of his first series of prizes, 
and the publication of his own " Memoir ;" he on the 4th of 
June, 1805, addressed to the Vice-Chancellors of the Univer- 
sities of Oxford and Cambridge, the proposal of the following 
subjects of prize composition. 

" For the best work in English prose, embracing the follow- 
ing subjects : 

" I. The probable design of the Divine Providence in sub- 
jecting so large a portion of Asia to the British dominion. 

" II. The duty, the means, and the consequences of trans- 
lating the scriptures into the oriental tongues, and of promot- 
ing christian knowledge in Asia. 

" III. A brief historic view of the progress of the gospel 
in different nations, since its first promulgation ; illustrated by 
maps, showing its luminous tract throughout the world ; with 
chronological notices of its duration in particular places." 

The candidates were permitted to prefix such title to the 
proposed work as they might think proper; and the munifi- 
cent prize offered by Mr. Buchanan upon this occasion to each 
University was the sum of five hundred pounds. He direct- 
ed, that the prizes should be determined on the 4th of June, 
1807, being the anniversary of the birth of our venerable 
sovereign ; " whose religious example," Mr. Buchanan add- 
ed, " had extended its influence to that remote part of his 
empire." 

The letters conveying intelligence of these very liberal of- 
fers were received towards the close of the year. They were 
soon afterwards accepted by both Universities ; and the spring 
of the year 1807 was appointed as the period for the delivery 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



189 



of the prize compositions to the judges who were to determine 
their merits. 

A few days subsequent to the date of these proposals to the 
English Universities, and not long before the departure of 
Marquis Wellesley from Bengal, Mr. Buchanan communicated 
to his lordship his wish to be absent from Calcutta during four 
months, for the benefit of his health, which his residence and 
labours in India had considerably impaired ; and for the pur- 
pose of proceeding to the coast of Malabar, with a view of ob- 
taining information relative to certain religious objects, which 
were particularly specified in his letter, and will be hereafter 
fully detailed. 

With this request the Governor General signified officially 
his ready compliance, together with his entire approbation of 
Mr. Buchanan's intended journey. It was added, that the 
governments of Fort St. George and Bombay would be re- 
quested to afford him every assistance, as well in the progress 
of his journey, by the accommodation of the dawk bearers, or 
other conveyances of government, as in the prosecution of his 
inquiries on the coast of Malabar. 

While Mr. Buchanan w 7 as preparing for this important and 
interesting journey, he was, for the present, prevented from 
fulfilling his intentions by a serious illness, the approach of 
which he first perceived on the 13th of August. He was 
well enough to meet Lord Wellesley at dinner the next day, 
and on the two following complained only of weakness and 
languor. On the 17th, a decided attack of fever came on ; 
and on the 19th, danger was apprehended by his physician. 

Of this alarming illness, a brief but remarkable memorial has 
been preserved in the hand- writing of Mr. Brown, who ap- 
pears to have attended and watched over his valued friend and 
coadjutor with fraternal anxiety and affection. The feelings 
and sentiments of Mr. Buchanan at this trying season, as de- 
scribed in the paper alluded to, are such as, while they may 
surprise a certain class of readers, will appear to better judges 
to be the genuine effusions of a pious mind, alive to the ap- 
prehended solemnities of a dying hour. 

On the evening of the 20th of August, Mr. Buchanan spoke 
much to his friend of his state and views ; said that he had 
been looking for his hope in the Bible, and that he had found 
it in the 51st psalm, and in the history of the penitent thief 
upon the cross. He at the same time gave directions to Mr. 
Brown respecting the college, his papers, and his affairs. The 
next day Mr. Buchanan was still more strongly impressed with 
the idea that he should not recover. Under this persuasion, 



190 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

he mentioned the place in which he wished to be interred, 
made some observations respecting his books, and desired that 
his sermons might be published after the arrival of his " Me- 
moir" io India. 

Mr, Buchanan next adverted to his experience and views as 
a christian ; declared his entire renunciation of his own me- 
rits as any ground of acceptance with God, lamented his un- 
profitableness, and spoke of himself in terms of the deepest 
humility. He then again referred to the church and to the 
college, and suggested various hints respecting both. After 
this he recurred to his present feelings and circumstances. He 
expressed his fear of living, and his desire of being received 
as the least and lowest of the servants of God. He was anx- 
ious to glorify him by his death, and prayed to be preserved 
from the enemy at the last hour, that he might not do or say 
any thing to weaken the testimony he had borne to the truth in 
that place. There was nothing, he said, upon earth, for which 
he had a wish, besides his wife and children ; that she was 
much before him in experimental knowledge, and had been 
twice on the wing to leave the world ; (he knew not, alas ! that 
she had in fact already taken her flight !) that his children 
would be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord ; that if sent to Scotland, they would be in the heart of 
Sunday-schools and of true religion ; or that in England, the 
. . .'s, and other friends who feared God, would take care of 
them. After thus speaking of his children, Mr. Buchanan 
alluded to a painful letter which he had lately received from 
one of his correspondents ; and lamented what he considered 
his unkindness, in forbearing to encourage him during the la- 
bours of the last five years. He then expressed a hope, that 
his death would prove useful to two persons whom he particu- 
larly named. 

On the morning of the 22d, Mr. Brown, on entering his 
sick chamber, found him still fixed in his opinion that he 
should die, and opening his spiritual state to another christian 
friend. He then took a review of the way in which the pro- 
vidence of God had led him from his earliest years ; and gave 
his friends a brief sketch of his history : the romantic project 
of his youth; his residence in London; his conversion to the 
faith and practice of a real christian ; his career at Cambridge; 
his voyage to India ; and his comparative banishment during 
the first three years of his residence in that country. At this 
critical period, Mr. Buchanan observed, his call by Lord Wel- 
lesley to the chaplaincy of the Presidency, and the subsequent 
establishment of the college, had given him an important work 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 191 

to perform ; that his preaching, indeed, (notwithstanding the 
specimens which have been before given of its ability and ex- 
cellence, such was the high standard to which he aspired,) had 
been unsatisfactory to himself; but that his spiritual labours and 
opportunities in college, though desultory, had often afforded 
him comfort. He added, says Mr. Brown, " that I must 
preach, probably intending his funeral sermon, " though he 
felt himself unworthy to choose a text; yet that it must be 
from these words, « Being justified by faith', we have peace 
with God.' " 

" After praying earnestly," continues Mr. Brown, " for some 
time, he lay quite still, and then with great tranquillity and sa- 
tisfaction said, ' What a happy moment ! Now I am resign- 
ed ; now I desire not to live. I am unworthy of this.' He 
then spoke of his hope, and said that he could only be saved 
by grace." 

After this conversation, Mr. Buchanan mentioned his wishes 
concerning his funeral and monument, and spoke of his depart- 
ure from the world as a happy deliverance from the evils 
which he foresaw he should have to encounter, if he were to 
return to Europe. Alluding to his intended journey, which 
his present illness had prevented, he said, "I am now about 
to travel not an earthly journey, but still to * unknown regions 
of the gospel.' I shall now pass over the heads of old men 
labouring usefully for Christ ; and at this early period be ad- 
vanced to see what 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath 
entered into the heart of man to conceive,' and behold disco- 
veries of the glory of Christ, ' God manifest in the flesh,' who 
hath come to us, and kindly taken us by the hand. He will 
lift us out of the deep waters, and set us at his own right hand. 
I once saw not the things I now see ; I knew not the gospel. 
Now I pray, that the little I have known may be perfected, 
and that God would complete his work on my soul." 

Mr. Brown adds, that his apparently dying friend was al- 
most continually praying, in a humble, submissive, patient, and 
fervent tone, for mercy and grace through Jesus Christ ; and, 
with the apostle, that God might be glorified by his life or 
death. 

Such is the interesting and instructive memorial which re- 
mains of this alarming illness of Mr. Buchanan. While it 
demonstrates the excellence and the solidity of the principles 
which could thus support him, it must surely excite in the 
mind of every reader a conviction of their value, and an earnest 
desire to possess the same consolation in a season of similar 
trial. 



102 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Of the progress of his recovery nothing is particularly re- 
corded. The fever appears gradually to have subsided ; and 
on the 4th of September he was so far restored as to be able to 
remove to Barrackpore for change of air, and afterwards to 
Sooksagur, about forty miles above Calcutta. The remem- 
brance, however, of his illness, and the impressions which an 
anticipated death-bed had made upon his mind, instead of be- 
ing obliterated, as in too many instances, by returning health, 
were ever afterwards cherished and retained. The scene was, 
perhaps, intended to prepare him for the painful trial which 
was approaching; and both, as we shall shortly perceive, pro- 
duced the happy effect of quickening him in his christian course, 
and of rendering him even more zealous and unwearied in the 
service of his heavenly Master. 

One of Mr. Buchanan's first exertions of recovered health 
was in writing the following reply to a pious man, who ap- 
pears to have been known to him during the early part of his 
residence in England, and to have been employed as a humble 
preacher of the gospel. It was found amongst the papers of 
the late Mr. Henry Thornton, to whom it had probably been 
sent by the person to whom it was addressed, for the purpose 
which the letter itself will explain. The christian kindness 
and humility which it breathes sufficiently authorize its in- 
sertion. 

* Calcutta, 3d Sept. 1805. 

" My dear Friend, — I received your letter by Mr. B — 
about five years ago, and in consequence took him into my 
house for some time. The young man is in the army, and 
conducts himself, I liear, with propriety. I am sorry to find 
that my answer to your letter on that occasion has never reach- 
ed you. 

" A few days ago I received your letter of the 4th of No- 
vember, 1804, by Mr. Taylor, a missionary to India. In that 
letter you mention that you are still poor ; and, what is better, 
that you preach the gospel to the poor. After so long an in- 
terval, it gives me great pleasure to learn that you are yet 
found faithful, and that in the midst of your poverty you 
have found the * unsearchable riches.' Your heavenly Father 
knoweth best what is good for you ; and he hath, no doubt, 
led you hitherto in that narrow and peculiar path which was 
suited to your state, and necessary for the advancement of 
his glory. 

" I have, on the other hand, been led in a broader road, and 
a more dangerous way. If I have been preserved, if I am yet, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 193 

in my measure, faithful in dispensing the gospel, and in pro- 
moting by various means the interests of Christ's kingdom, it 
is mercy ; far more distinguished mercy, as it appears to me, 
than that which has been manifested in you. The gospel is 
not without its witness even in this place. The company of 
the faithful is increasing, and the opportunities of publishing 
the good tidings are multiplying. 

" I enclose to you a note on my agents in London for fifty 
pounds. I should send you more, if I thought it would do 
you any good. If you should want more, ask Mr. Henry 
Thornton for it, and I will repay him. 

" I was much pleased with your account of your aged father. 
I think on the whole you have reason to be thankful that your 
family are so well disposed of in the course of years and 
worldly revolution. It seemeth good to Providence to keep 
you all in a strait estate ; and that is the general dispensation 
to God's favoured people. 

" That you may be blessed yourself, and continue to be a 
blessing to others, is the prayer of, 

Dear sir, your sincere friend, C. Buchanan." 

During the temporary retreat of Mr. Buchanan at Sooksagur, 
for the re-establishment of his health, he was diligently em- 
ployed in Hebrew, Syriac, and Chaldaic studies, with various 
accompaniments of Rabbinical and other commentators. In 
the midst, however, of this occupation, he was interrupted by 
the afflicting intelligence of the death of Mrs. Buchanan. This 
distressing, though in some measure expected, event had taken 
place on the 18th of June, on board the East India ship, in 
which she was returning to England, off the Island of St. 
Helena. Of Mr. Buchanan's feelings upon this mournful occa- 
sion, as well as respecting his own late illness, the two follow- 
ing letters will afford an affecting and truly interesting picture. 
The first is to his friend Colonel Sandys. 

" Sooksaguh, near Calcutta, 22d Oct. 1805. 
" My dear Sandys, — I have been at this place for some time 
past, in the hope of getting a little strength. I was visited by 
a fever about two months ago, and was despaired of for a day 
or two. But the prayers of the righteous were offered up, 
and my days have been prolonged. It was with a kind of re- 
luctance I felt myself carried back by the refluent waves to 
encounter again the storms of this life : for I had hoped the 
fight was done. Although unprofitable has been my life, and 
feeble my exertions ; yet I was more afraid of the trials to come, 

R 



194 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

if I should survive, than of departing to my rest, if it was the 
will of God. I had made a disposition of my fortune to Mary, 
and her pious purposes ; (for she too had undertakings in 
view ;) believing that she would be much more useful than I 
could. My first care on my convalescence was to write to her 
an account of that event. In a few days afterwards the Cal- 
cutta Indiaman arrived from St. Helena, and brought me the 
news of my dear Mary's decease ! Before she went away I 
perceived that her affections were nearly weaned from this 
world ; and she often said, that she thought God was preparing 
her for his presence in glory. She was greatly favoured in her 
near access to God in prayer; and she delighted in retirement 
and sacred meditation. She was jealous of herself latterly, 
when she anticipated the happiness of our all meeting in Eng- 
land ; and endeavoured to chastise the thought. 

44 Her sufferings were great, but she accounted her consola- 
tions greater ; and she used to admire the goodness of God to 
her, in bringing her to a knowledge of the truth at so early an 
age. It was her intention, had she lived to reach England, to 
have gone down with her two little girls to visit you ; saying, 
4 we shall behold each other as two new creatures.' You had 
been accused to her of being too peculiar, and she wished to 
see what was amiss. 

44 When she found her dissolution drawing near, she solemnly 
devoted her two little girls to God ; and prayed that he would 
be their Father, and bring them up in his holy fear, and pre- 
serve them from the vanities of this evil world. She said she 
could willingly die for the souls of her children ; and she did 
die, in the confident hope of seeing them both in glory. 

44 Having had it in contemplation to have followed my dear 
Mary to England next year, I had let my house at Garden 
Reach to Sir John D'Oyly. I had also sold my furniture, 
horses, &c, previously to my proceeding to Malabar. But in 
the meantime I fell sick ; and now that I have recovered, I 
mean to defer my journey to the coast till the new government 
be settled. Sir George Barlow is at present up the country ; 
Mr. Udny is Deputy Governor. Both of them are warm sup- 
porters of religious improvement in India, and I trust they will 
do good. They know nothing of my 44 Memoir," nor any one 
else but Mr. Brown. 

44 The B.'s here are affectionately concerned in my recovery, 
and pay me every attention in their power. I do not know 
whether I shall go to England next year or not ; I am now a 
desolate old man, though young in years. But my path will, 
I doubt not, be made 4 clear as the noon day.' 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 195 

" By your late letters I see that you are ' flourishing like a 
palm tree.' How often have you passed the palm tree in India, 
without comparing it to the righteous man ! 

M My dear Mary's name and character was latterly well 
known among the excellent of the earth ; and her memory has 
left a fragrance for years to come." 

Mr. Buchanan then mentions the lamented and unexpected 
death of the Marquis Cornwallis ; who had lately arrived to 
resume the government of the country, which had been already 
so signally benefited by his former administration. 

* The body," he observes, of this illustrious nobleman, " had 
no honourable interment ; neither a clergyman to read the office, 
nor a coffin to put it in. Thus ended his earthly name and 
greatness. God promised to Jacob, as a temporal blessing, 
that his son Joseph ' should close his eyes.' It is indeed a 
blessing to have a righteous son or daughter to hallow our re- 
mains in death. May you have that son, and I that daughter ! 
Yours affectionately, C. Buchanan." 

The second of the two letters relative to the death of Mrs. 
Buchanan is to another friend, who well knew her worth, and 
sincerely sympathized with Mr. Buchanan under his loss. The 
somewhat varied expression of his feelings upon this painful 
subject will not, perhaps, be unacceptable. 

"Sooksagur, 24th Oct. 1805. 

" My dear Sir. — Your letter of March 18th, of this year, ad- 
dressed to my dear Mary, arrived here about a month ago. A 
few days afterwards I received the account of her death. 

" You will rejoice to hear that, when she was preparing to 
leave India, she considered herself as preparing for another and 
better country than England. 

" She enjoyed latterly much communion with God in prayer ; 
and often, when she came out of her closet, the gleam on her 
countenance evinced her peace and acceptance. The words 
of some hymn to her Redeemer were often on her lips. You 
I believe knew enough of her to make you consider this por- 
trait of her last days to be true. She died at the age of twenty- 
five. She considered that the period of her sufferings (only, 
she said, three or four years) was very short, and wondered at 
the goodness of God in so early calling her to his glory. She 
lamented that she could never be ' made perfect by suffering ;' 
and therefore viewed the end of her probation with great com- 
fort, and latterly with joyful anticipation. She expressed and 
felt strong affection towards you and your family. In the last 



196 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

page of your letter to Mrs. Buchanan, you remind her of the 
promise, ' Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give the a 
crown of life.' These words were prophetic. You wrote them 
on the 18th of March ; and on the 18th of June, three months 
after, she, I trust, received the crown. 

" I have been at this place for some weeks past, in the hope 
of acquiring a little strength after my late illness. I am now 
perfectly well, and propose to return to Calcutta to resume my 
public duties in a few days. 

" During the period of my retirement I have been chiefly 
employed in researches in the Hebrew and Syriac scriptures. 
I happily met with some valuable Syriac volumes on my way 
up hither. While I was thus engaged, the news of Mrs. 
Buchanan's death arrived ! I found some consolation in writ- 
ing a few lines to her memory in the Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, 
and Latin languages ; which I inscribed on a leaf of her own 
Bible : the best monument that I could erect ; for her body was 
buried in the deep. 

" I sometimes think that, had I my two little girls to play 
with, I should be happy, even in this dreary land. My chief 
solace is in a mind constantly occupied ; and this is the great- 
est temporal blessing I can expect, even unto the end. I could 
relate to you scenes of tribulation and keen persecution in re- 
gard to others and to myself: but these could give you no plea- 
sure, and I wish not to think of them. 

" How little do you all know of Calcutta, or of what is doing 
or has been done here ; as little even as of the court of Pekin ! 

" Of the many letters you wrote to us during the two last 
years, I think we received only two. My next to you, if I live 
to write another, will probably be from Taprobane. 

I remain, my dear sir, very affectionately yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

On the day on which the preceding letter is dated, Mr. Bu- 
chanan addressed the following to Mr. Grant: 

" Sooksagur, 24th Oct. 1805. 

' 'Dear Sir, — I was favoured with your letter by the last 
fleet, enclosing a copy of the prospectus of the new college. 
I was much pleased with the perusal, and have no doubt of its 
becoming an useful institution. 

" About three years ago I sent you a memorial on the ne- 
cessity of having some regulations passed for the instruction 
of writers and cadets on board ship. The ship is often the 
bane of young men who leave home. Alter they are com- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 197 

mitted by their parents to the care of the Company, it is doubt- 
less the Company's duty to look to their morals, and the em- 
ployment of their time, on board their own ships. I suggest- 
ed to you the easy method by which this might be effected. 

44 Your son's poem is much admired here. It certainly does 
him great honour as a man, a scholar, and a poet ; and it must 
be highly gratifying to you that he should, at so early an age, 
have established his fame. I trust that his health is improved, 
and that he will be long preserved to you and to his country. 

" What you mention of the prose dissertation is interesting. 
One of the Cambridge judges wrote me a letter, in which he 
observes, that of the unsuccessful dissertations, one was excel- 
lent ; but he did not mention the name of the writer. I hope 
you will publish it. At all events it must be creditable to your 
son ; and it will probably do good, as it is, I doubt not, founded 
on just sentiments. 

44 1 remain, dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

Having derived much benefit from the change of air, and 
the retirement which he had enjoyed during two months at 
Sooksagur, Mr. Buchanan, on the 4th of November, returned 
to Calcutta. A few weeks afterwards he addressed a letter of 
considerable length to his grace, the Archbishbop of Canter- 
bury, upon the great and important subject of the promotion 
of christian knowledge in India, which had of late so much 
occupied his mind, chiefly with reference to an ecclesiastical 
establishment, and the translation of the scriptures into the 
oriental languages. Much of Mr. Buchanan's fervid reason- 
ing in his address to the Metropolitan of England proceeds 
upon the comparative indifference which then prevailed in this 
country, relative to the religious interests of India. 

This circumstance being borne in mind, the following ex- 
tracts will afford another proof of the devoted, yet enlarged 
and disinterested attachment of the writer to the important 
work which he was pursuing. After noticing the Archbishop's 
recent elevation to the highest dignity in the church, Mr. Bu- 
chanan thus proceeds : 

44 Permit me, my lord, in the name of the few representa- 
tives of the English church in Asia, to offer to your grace the 
tribute of affectionate congratulation, and to express our hope 
that the glory of the Messiah's kingdom may be manifested 
to all nations of the earth during the period of your adminis- 
tration. 

44 Our hope of evangelizing Asia was once founded on the 

r2 



198 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

college of Fort William. But a rude hand hath already touch- 
ed it, and unless the Imperial Parliament interpo/e, it will soon 
be said of this great and useful institution, which enlightened 
a hemisphere of the globe, * Fuit Ilium et ingens gloria.' Its 
name, however, will remain, for its record is in many lan- 
guages, and the good it hath done will never die, for it hath 
taught many the way to heaven. Had the college of Fort 
William been cherished at home with the same ardour with 
which it was opposed, it might, in the period of ten years, 
have produced translations of the scriptures into all the lan- 
guages from the borders of the Caspian to the sea of Japan. 

" An idea seems to have gone forth in England that Lord 
Wellesley founded his college merely to instruct the Com- 
pany's writers. Lord W r ellesley founded the college of Fort 
William to enlighten the oriental world ; to give science, reli- 
gion, and pure morals to Asia ; and to confirm in it the British 
power and dominion. 

44 .... It is the opinion of intelligent men in India, that 
the formation of an extensive ecclesiastical establishment is a 
measure which, during the present revolutions of Europe, will 
tend greatly to confirm our dominion. It is certain that nothing 
would more alarm the portentous invader of nations, than our 
taking a ' religious possession' of Hindostan. Five hundred 
respectable clergy of the English church, established in our 
Gentoo cities, would more perplex his views of conquest than 
an army of fifty thousand British soldiers. The army of fifty 
thousand would melt away in seven years, but the influence of 
an upright clergyman among the natives of his district would 
be permanent. He would be to them in time their mouth and 
mind, and speak for them peace or war. Friendly, admoni- 
tory, social intercourse, is what is wanting to enchain the 
hearts of the people of Hindostan, and to make them our 
people. 

" . . . . The toleration of all religions, and the zealous ex- 
tension of our own, is the way to rule and preserve a conquer- 
ed kingdom. It is certain that men are ruled virtually by the 
church, though ostensibly by the state, in every country. 
The seeds of moral obedience and social order are all in the 
church. 

" How India is to be preserved in time to come must 
be submitted to the wisdom of the Imperial Parliament. If the 
scriptures be from God, our nation does not deserve at his hand 
to retain the possession of this ' paradise of nations' a year 
longer, so greatly have we abused our sacred trust. We have, 
in one word, * withheld the revelation of God, and permitted 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 199 

the libation to Moloch of human blood.' In the course of the 
two last months, the Rev. Mr. Brown, the senior of the Eng- 
lish clergy now in India, has witnessed the burning alive of 
eight women at the place of sacrifice, in the suburbs of Cal- 
cutta, as he passed casually on his way from his country-house 
to the church in town. How can the minister of the altar ap- 
proach without trembling to his holy office, when he reflects 
on such scences, and on their connexion with the sin of his 
country ! 

44 1 said a little on these subjects in my memoir, but had I 
said all I could say, I should have exposed to severe censure 
the national character. I have since been visited by a danger- 
ous illness ; and when I considered myself at the point of 
death, I repented that I had not spoken more loudly and more 
faithfully to my christian country. 

44 In the hope of atoning for a mistaken tenderness, I would 
now impress the mind of your grace with a just sentiment of 
our present state in India, in order that your grace may delibe- 
rate on the means of promoting the welfare of the hundred 
million of souls which Providence has committed to our 
charge. 

44 One observation I would make on the proposed ecclesias- 
tical establishment. A partial or half measure will have no 
useful effect. A few additional chaplains can do nothing to- 
wards the attainment of the great objects in view. 

44 An archbishop is wanted for India ; a sacred and exalted cha- 
racter, surrounded by his bishops, of ample revenue and exten- 
sive sway ; a venerable personage, whose name shall be greater 
than that of the transitory governors of the land, and whose 
fame for piety, and for the will and power to do good, may 
pass throughout every region. 

44 We want something royal, in a spiritual or temporal sense, 
for the abject subjects of this great eastern empire to look up 
to. They cannot conceive themselves in a settled state with- 
out a Sultan or Maha Rajah. They are incapable of freedom, 
for superstition keeps men in childhood. And yet they have 
neither king nor emperor ; they have neither national temple 
nor high priest. They are a mixed multitude, who have no 
common sentiment of truth or falsehood, of right or wrong. 
Every man contradicts his neighbour, and the European tells 
them they are all right ! 

44 Spiritual power, with means of instruction, is wanting, to 
awaken to life this sluggish and inert race. Vegetating in ig- 
norance and passive misery, they want a sacred guide, who 
shall take them by the hand, and lift them up, and look them 



200 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

in the face, and express sonic interest in their happiness. The 
suet-ess of the solitary missionary demonstrates what would be 
the powerful effect of the whole church. 

" I feel a solicitude that your grace should not consider me 
as adverting to subjects unnecessary or unimportant in them- 
selves, or such as it is not becoming in me to allude to. My 
apology for noticing the political state of our Indian empire, is 
this: The existence of it is involved in religious considera- 
tions. The men whose business it is to know this will not 
believe it. But where is the truth to be found, if not from 
those who are at the fountain of information ; who, if they fulfil 
their sacred character, are not careless i observers of the signs 
of the times,' and who stand, as it were, on an eminence, and 
behold their own country and India distinctly in one view ? I 
would not, without reason, urge this subject on the attention 
of good men at home. India is nothing to me, in the sense in 
which some value it. I am about to leave it. But truth and 
the honour of the nation are something. There is a yet more 
solemn sanction. The word of God is everlasting, but our 
dominion in India is temporary. That dominion has been ex- 
ercised in succession by the other powers of Europe. But 
Providence did not intend that the Bomish faith should be 
given to Asia. Now we reign. But we do not fulfil the pur- 
pose for which the sceptre was given. Why then should 
Providence withhold the country from a new invader \ If we 
ultimately lose it, let us acknowledge the justice of God in the 
dispensation. 

" It will be a satisfaction to your grace, to know that the 
translation of the scriptures into the oriental languages still 
proceeds with spirit, though many do not smile on our labours. 
A few individuals have devoted their slender means to the fur- 
therance of this great work. But these private resources will 
soon fail. A commencement, however, in the translations is of 
vast importance. They are ' begun in faith ;' and we trust to 
the divine Author to bring to a happy termination (though 
not perhaps in our time) the versions of his own most holy 
word. 

" We have it in contemplation to bring the great question of 
giving the scriptures to the heathen before the public in a few 
weeks, and to move the subject at all the Presidencies in India 
at the same time. The protestant mission here must be used 
as the engine to effect this design, (wielded by the power of 
the college,) seeing we have no church of our own as a cor- 
porate body, and the duration of the college is uncertain. If 
the public voice shall favour the proposal, an immense sum 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 201 

will be subscribed, and the translations will be carried on under 
happy auspices. 

" Britain will acquire by these works a lasting renown 
among ' the churches which are in Asia,' planted in a new 
age. She is indebted for it (under the divine counsel) to the 
honest purpose of Marquis Wellesley to do good in India. 
And I consider that the success which has hitherto attended 
the translations of the scriptures is a * token for good,' and the 
best ' sign' we have in present circumstances that Providence 
means to preserve to us this country. 

" I have the honour to present to your grace, for the archi- 
episcopal library at Lambeth Palace, in the name of the college 
of Fort William, and with the permission of the Marquis 
Wellesley, a valuable copy of the Mohammedan Koran in 
folio, beautifully ornamented with paintings and oriental ena- 
mel, and written by the pen of the Sultaun Allavuddeen Siljuky, 
about four hundred years ago. It has descended to these 
times in the line of emperors ; and was found in the library of 
Tippoo Sultan at Seringapatam, after the reduction of that ca- 
pital by the British armies. 

" By depositing the most valuable Koran of Asia in the 
ancient library of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the college 
of Fort William would intimate, that the sway of the East, 
once usurped by the Arabian imposter, has now reverted to a 
christian power ; and would express the hope, that, in return 
for this volume of emblazoned delusion, the Church of Eng- 
land will exhibit to all nations the dutiful act so long expected, 
and send forth to the inhabitants of Asia the true revelation of 
God." 

The reply which the archbishop was pleased to make to 
the preceding letter will prove, that his grace duly appreciated 
the importance of the subject of which it treated ; nor can it 
be doubted that the representations of Mr. Buchanan contri- 
buted to the accomplishment of the great purpose to which his 
labours had been long directed. 

Within a few days after the date of this able and eloquent 
address, a second attack of ague and fever again laid Mr. Bu- 
chanan aside for a fortnight. On his recovery, he was inform- 
ed, by Mr. Udny, that Sir George Barlow, now Governor 
General, had appointed him Provost of the college, under the 
new regulation, which admitted only of one superintending 
officer. This honourable distinction afforded Mr. Buchanan 
an opportunity, which he immediately embraced, of manifest- 
ing both his disinterestedness and his friendship for his valua- 
ble associate Mr. Brown. On the very next day he intimated 



202 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 



to the government his wish to resign the appointment to the! 
provostship in favour of Mr. Brown, in consideration not only' 
of his long and meritorious services as a chaplain of the Com- 
pany, but of the extent of his family, and the slender provi- 
sion which in consequence of that circumstance, and of his 
liberal and charitable disposition, he had as yet been able to 
make lor their support. No decisive arrangement, however, 
appears to have been made, until the arrival of final orders 
upon the subject from England. 

Mr. Buchanan closed his ministerial labours this year by a 
sermon on Christmas-day, on the appropriate subject of the 
diffusion of that evangelical light in India, the dawn of which 
they were commemorating on that festival. 

The usual college examinations first occupied the attention 
of Mr. Buchanan in the following year. At their close, to- 
wards the end of January, in writing to Mr. Grant respecting 
one of the students who had distinguished himself by his ta- 
lents and assiduity, he mentions an idea which had occurred to 
him relative to the new establishment at Hertford, and which 
may serve to show the activity of his mind upon every subject 
connected with the improvement of India. 

" I have encouraged a few native moonshees to think of pro- 
ceeding to England, to aid the students of Hertford college in 
their pronunciation of the oriental tongues. It appears to me 
that it would greatly subserve the cause of christian knowledge 
in Asia, if the Company were to invite to England a few re- 
spectable and learned natives every year. They would see us 
to advantage at home ; but they see us at a great disadvantage 
here. 

44 1 forgot to say in my last how much I was gratified by 
your mention of the Chinese language in the printed prospect- 
us of the new college which you sent me. That passage was 
highly valuable and important." 

It is, however, to be regretted, that the Chinese language 
has not yet been cultivated by the servants of the Company, 
either in India or in England, notwithstanding the facilities 
afforded by the Chinese class, the establishment of which by 
Mr. Buchanan has been already mentioned. 

On the 12th of February, Mr. Buchanan again wrote to Mr. 
Grant, on the return of some of his friends to England, and 
thus expresses his sentiments on the political state of Europe, 
respecting which, though the period was then distant to which 
he looked forward, his riew was remarkably just, as well as 
religious. 

" It is now nearly six months since we had any ships from 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 203 

England ; and few private letters since April, 1805. By the 
overland packet, however, we learn the state of public affairs 
in Europe. If the combined nations should not be able to 
make much impression on Buonaparte, then may we believe 
that a remarkable period, spoken of in the prophets, is at hand. 
But if (as is most natural to suppose from the common course 
of things) he is to be shorn of his power, then will another 
nation (that is, Britain) be triumphant in the world ; and another 
great event spoken of by the prophets may be expected, even 
that to which our Lord alludes, ' And the gospel must first be 
published among all nations.' For what other people can begin 
this work like us ? It would require three centuries, judging 
by past history, for any other nation to be so matured by 
power and will to evangelize the heathen, as we now are, or 
rather as we shall be when the usurper of many crowns shall 
fall like Lucifer, and we shall be delivered from the fear of that 
dreaded event, his expedition to the East ; for with infinitely 
more ease than ever Alexander did may he march through 
eastern countries, if he could once get his army to the south 
of the Hellespont." 

Mr. Buchanan's next letter to the same highly esteemed 
correspondent displays, in a striking yet unaffected point of 
view, the piety, tenderness, and humility of his mind, together 
with his unremitting anxiety, amidst infirm and languid health, 
for the great interests of religion. The hint of ecclesiastical 
preferment to which he alludes, was very natural. It occurred 
to many in England and in India ; and amongst others to his 
excellent colleague, Mr. Brown ; who, as he had the best op- 
portunities of knowing his talents and qualifications, wrote ex- 
pressly to a distinguished person connected with India in this 
country, recommending in the strongest terms the elevation of 
Mr. Buchanan to the episcopal dignity in the East, whenever 
it should happily be determined to make such an appointment 
for our oriental dominions. For the present, however, let us 
hear Mr. Buchanan himself. 

" Calcutta, 1st March, 1806. 
" Dear Sir, — I w r as favoured to-day with your letter by the 
Thalia of the 25th of September last ; and I am greatly 
obliged to you for your notice of the decease of Mrs. Buchanan, 
and for the tenderness of your expressions in relation to that 
event. She was indeed a model of humility; so framed by a 
spiritual power, and richly adorned by the grace of God. I 
was not worthy of her ; but she has left two little daughters to 



204 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

read her history, who I trust will be chosen to follow her high 
example. 

44 The subject in your letter, which you will wish me to 
notice, is that of my return to England. You desire I would 
stay beyond this year. I would with pleasure, if I thought it 
would be attended with good. But I must inform you, that 
since my late illness I am become infirm in body and mind; 
and I am scarcely fit for those public duties in this place, 
which require the heart of a lion, and a countenance of brass. 
I trust my excursion to the Deccan, which I meditate next 
month, will be beneficial to me. The circumstance I commu- 
nicate to you is not as yet, perhaps, very evident from my ap- 
pearance, but it is so in fact. 

44 The good to be expected now will flow from other sources 
than Calcutta ; so I am less anxious about maintaining this 
strong post any longer. But if Providence think fit, I will, 
or rather I shall. 

44 As to returning in order to receive episcopal dignity, my 
soul sinks at the thought of it. I trust. my lines will rather be 
cast in a curacy. 

44 Place the mitre on any head. Never fear; it will do 
good among the Hindoos. A spiritual bishop will appear in 
due time. 

44 My thoughts pass not beyond next month, or that follow- 
ing. But I say thus much, that if I return this year, you may 
hope that it has been rightly ordered. 

44 1 am sorry you should trouble yourself in noticing my dif- 
ference of opinion with you on some points. I do not know 
that there is a right and a wrong in them. They are varying 
shades of a picture we both love. If any thing I have ever 
said or done give you uneasiness, I pray you to pardon me. I 
have no opinion on any thing, at least I desire not to maintain 
any, but what concerns the gospel of Christ. Had I been 
brought up in your school, and sat in your chair, I should pro- 
bably think as you do. But we are both scholars in the school 
of Christ, where all are taught 4 the same words.' And we 
shall wonder hereafter, (if it be given us to look on from 
above,) that our right and wrong, our truth and error in India 
and England, should be overruled to harmonize for the glory 
of God. 

44 1 preach to-morrow a discourse before the government; 
4 And the gospel must first be preached among all nations.' 
Mark xiii. 10. My last effort, I suppose, on these subjects. 
On Monday, the next day, the Governor General delivers his 
annual speech before the college ; for which I have furnished 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 205 

him, at his desire, with some notes. Much depends, very 
much, which I have not time now to explain to you, on the 
complexion of his discourse. And many are waiting with 
solicitude the result ; many on both sides. 

"If he admit the word 'civilization' into his speech this 
year, you may expect to hear the word ' religion' next year. 
For thus by slow degrees we must proceed. 

" If I were nearer to you, communication in present circum- 
stances would be useful. As it is, little can be done. 

" May your sun continue long to give its light in your pre- 
sent sphere. Your work that remains, may it be wrought in 
humility of soul, that heavenly frame ! and your decease, like 
that of Jacob, may it be attended with blessings ; blessing 
your own family, and embalming your memory among the 
righteous that remain. 

11 1 am, dear sir, very sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 

"P. S. I read sometimes with tears (which flow more com- 
monly than usual) the two last pages of your son's poem. 

" I hope the prose composition of the other will be published. 
With the helps of the two last years he may enlarge and im- 
prove it ; and I shall be obliged to him if he will permit it to 
be published at my expense." 

The annual disputations in the oriental languages, to which 
Mr. Buchanan refers in the preceding letter, were held on the 
3d of March ; on which occasion Sir George Barlow, the new 
Governor General, presided as Visitor.* In the speech with 
which his excellency closed the proceedings, after paying a 
merited tribute of respect to the great and venerable nobleman 
of whom they had been so lately deprived, and of applause to 
the illustrious founder of the college, he alluded to the convic- 
tion which he had expressed at a very early period of the bene- 
ficial consequences of its establishment ; and added, that the 
correctness of that judgment had been confirmed by the ex- 
perience of every successive year. Those branches of the pro- 
jected education, he observed, which they had the means of 
prosecuting, had been cultivated beyond the limits of their most 
sanguine expectations. The Governor General proceeded to 
declare, that those students of the college who had been dis- 
tinguished for their proficiency in its prescribed studies, and 
had been employed in public situations, more particularly in 
the diplomatic service, had maintained the credit, and demon- 

* Calcutta Gazette Extraordinary, March 8, 1806. 



206 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

strated the advantages of the institution, by the distinguished 
merit of their general conduct, and by their peculiar ability, in- 
dustry, and judgment in the execution of the important duties 
committed to their charge. Sir George Barlow next referred 
to the new establishment at Hertford. 

11 An opinion has, I understand, prevailed, that the oriental 
seminary established in England under the authority of the 
honourable the Court of Directors, is calculated ultimately to 
supersede the existing institution of the college of Fort William, 

" I deem it proper therefore to take this opportunity of stat- 
ing, that the oriental seminary founded in England is not in- 
tended to supersede the college of Fort William ; and it is my 
deliberate opinion, that the system of oriental study projected 
in England will tend to support the efficiency of this institu- 
tion, and to accelerate its operation, by affording to the youth 
who are destined for this country the advantages of an earlier 
proficiency in those branches of knowledge which are con- 
sidered to be peculiarly adapted to the nature of their future 
duties, and of an early acquisition of the rudiments of the ori- 
ental languages." 

After complimenting the professors and officers of the col- 
lege on their persevering and zealous activity in the discharge 
of their various duties, the Governor General concluded a long 
and able speech by thus expressing, as Mr. Buchanan had 
hoped, his conviction of the benefits which might justly be ex- 
pected to be derived, both by the natives of India and by the 
British government, from the literary branch of the college of 
Fort William. 

" The numerous works which have been published under 
the auspices of the college in the course of the last six years, 
will not only open to the learned in Europe ample sources of 
information on all subjects of oriental history and science, but 
will afford to the various nations and tribes of India, and espe- 
cially to those which compose the body of our Indian subjects, 
a more favourable view, and a more just and accurate concep- 
tion of the British character, principles, and laws, than they 
have hitherto been enabled to form ; and may be expected 
gradually to diffuse among them a spirit of civilization, and an 
improved sense of those genuine principles of morality and 
virtue, which are equally calculated to promote their happiness, 
and to contribute to the stability of the British dominion in 
India." 

The disapprobation, with which the extensive nature of-the 
college of Fort William had been viewed by the Court of 
Directors, had long prepared its superintendents to expect are- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 207 

duction of its establishment. Anticipating, therefore, the sus- 
pension of that department in it which had hitherto been in- 
strumental in promoting translations of the scriptures into the 
oriental languages, they were anxious to make some provision 
for the continuation of these important works. With this view, 
they resolved to encourage individuals to proceed with versions 
of the scriptures, by such means as they could command ; pur- 
posing, at the same time, not to confine this encouragement to 
Bengal, but to extend it to every part of the East, where fit in- 
struments could be found. Mr. Buchanan particularly deter- 
mined to devote his influence, as Vice-Provost of the college, in 
aid of the translations then in the hands of the missionaries at 
Serampore, and to endeavour to excite the public interest in 
their favour. For this purpose, early in the year 1806, he 
drew up " proposals for a subscription for translating the holy 
scriptures" into fifteen oriental languages ; containing a pro- 
spectus of Indian versions, and observations on the practicability 
of the general design. To these proposals, thus composed by 
Mr. Buchanan from materials partly furnished by the mission- 
aries, their names were subscribed ; and in the month of March, 
copies were distributed liberally in India and in England ; in 
this country to the Court of Directors, to the Bench of Bishops, 
to the Universities, to Lord Teignmouth, as President of the 
British and Foreign Bible Society, and to some other public 
bodies, as well as to many private gentlemen. In India, copies 
were transmitted to nearly the whole of the principal civil, and 
to many of the military officers, in the Company's service, 
from Delhi to Travancore ; to many of whom the mission at 
Serampore was previously unknown. Mr. Buchanan obtained 
permission, at the same time, to send the proposals, in his 
official character as Vice-Provost of the college, free of expense, 
to all parts of the empire ; and he accompanied them in most 
instances with letters, which amounted to about one hundred, 
from himself. 

In two of those letters to friends in England, Mr. Buchanan 
informed them it had been at first intended that they should 
issue from the college, under the sanction of government. It 
appears, that he communicated the manuscript to the Governor 
General ; but, although he was personally disposed to favour 
the undertaking, he declined authorizing a measure which 
might appear to identify the government too closely and pro- 
minently with an extensive plan for promoting christian know- 
ledge amongst our native subjects. Whatever may be con- 
ceded, as to the cautious policy of this conduct, it cannot but 
be regretted, that the noble and extensive work thus projected 



208 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

could not have been placed under the immediate superintend- 
ence and control of the college of Fort William ; possessing 
as it did, in the assemblage of oriental scholars collected around 
it, such superior facilities for their execution, connected as it 
was with the Church of England, and consequently affording a 
pledge, both as to soundness of principle and unity of design, 
which could be expected from no other quarter. 

It was, however, plainly implied in the proposals, that the 
undertaking would enjoy the countenance and support of the 
college ; and it was doubtless on this ground that the concur- 
rence of the public was principally obtained. That expectation 
was accordingly expressed in the following terms : 

" Our hope of success in this great undertaking depends 
chiefly on the patronage of the college of Fort William. To 
that institution we are much indebted for the progress we have 
already made. Oriental translation has become comparatively 
easy, in consequence of our having the aid of those learned men 
from distant provinces in Asia, who have assembled, during 
the period of the last six years, at that great emporium of east- 
ern letters. These intelligent strangers voluntarily engage 
with us in translating the scriptures into their respective lan- 
guages ; and they do not conceal their admiration of the su- 
blime doctrine, pure precept, and divine eloquence of the word 
of God. The plan of these translations was sanctioned at an 
early period by the most noble the Marquis Wellesley, the 
great patron of useful learning. To give the christian scrip- 
tures to the inhabitants of Asia is indeed a work which every 
man, who believes these scriptures to be from God, will ap- 
prove. In Hindostan alone there is a great variety of reli- 
gions ; and there are some tribes which have no certain cast or 
religion at all. To render the revealed religion accessible to 
men who < desire' it, to open its eternal sanctions, and display 
its pure morals to those who ' seek a religion,' is to fulfil the 
sacred duty of a christian people, and accords well with the 
humane and generous spirit of the English nation." 

Another passage of the document, from which the preceding 
extract is taken, announced in India the formation and the 
proffered friendship of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 
as furnishing material encouragement to the proposed under- 
taking. Thus accredited and patronized, the address from the 
missionaries at Serampore was advertised in the government 
gazettes, and published throughout India ; and such was the 
approbation with which it was received, that in a short time 
the sum of sixteen hundred pounds was subscribed in aid of the 
intended translations. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 209 

The communication of the proposals in question to the Bri- 
tish and Foreign Bible Society was made by Mr. Buchanan in 
the month of March. He at the same time recommended, that 
a sermon should be preached before the Society, " on the sub- 
ject of oriental translations ;" and with the zeal and liberality 
which had now so frequently marked all his proceedings, re- 
quested, " that the reverend preacher would do him the honour 
to accept the sum of fifty pounds on delivery of a printed copy 
of the sermon to his agents in London, for the college of Fort 
William in Bengal." This proposition was at first acceded to 
by the committee of the society ; and the Rev. John Owen, 
one of its able and indefatigable secretaries, was requested to 
become the preacher.* It was, however, upon reconsideration, 
unanimously agreed, that, as the measure did not fall strictly 
within the professed object of the society, and might open a 
door to practical irregularities, it would not be expedient to 
sanction its adoption. The generous offer of Mr. Buchanan 
was, in consequence of this decision, respectfully declined. 

A similar proposal was transmitted by Mr. Buchanan to the 
Vice-Chancellors of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 
that two sermons should be preached before each of those 
learned bodies, on the translation of the scriptures into the 
oriental languages, by such persons as the Universities should 
appoint; accompanied by a request, that each of the four 
preachers would accept the sum of thirty guineas, on the simi- 
lar condition of the delivery to his agents of a printed copy of 
the sermon for the college of Fort William. These additional 
offers to the Universities were in each case accepted. 

In the course of the preceding year, Mr. Buchanan received 
from the University of Glasgow, of which he had been for- 
merly a member, a diploma conferring upon him the degree of 
Doctor in Divinity. By this title, confirmed as it afterwards 
was by a similar honour from the University to which he 
more immediately belonged, he will accordingly be designated 
in the continuation of these memoirs. 



* History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, vol. i. p. 281. 



210 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



CHAPTER V. 

Dr. Buchanan was now again looking forward to his long 
projected journey to the south of the peninsula. On the 12th 
of March, 1806, he thus* wrote to a friend in England : 

44 I proceed to Malabar in a few weeks. My delay has been 
chiefly occasioned by the difficulty of my resigning appoint- 
ments and offices here, where there is no one to receive them. 
And even now, if I get off fairly, I shall wonder. 

44 I still continue in my purpose of going home about the 
end of this year. So that I shall possibly see you and your 
family once more." 

On the 22d of March, Dr. Buchanan obtained leave of ab- 
sence from the government for six months, together with re- 
newed assurances of the countenance and assistance formerly 
promised ; but his preparations for his journey were again in- 
terrupted by a return of ague and fever. This attack was, 
however, less serious, and of shorter duration than the former ; 
so that at the end of the month he was able to wait upon the 
Governor General, who kindly offered to accommodate him 
with one of his tents for his intended journey to the coast. 
During the month of April, Dr. Buchanan continued his pre- 
parations for his approaching absence ; attended an examina- 
tion of the Chinese class at Serampore, and made arrange- 
ments for the performance of his clerical duties. His last 
sermon, previously to his departure, was from the beautiful 
address in the Revelation of St. John, (chap. iii. 7 — 13,) to 
the church at Philadelphia, which he probably considered as 
in some respects appropriate to that at Calcutta. Dr. Buchanan 
spent several of the days immediately preceding his journey, 
with Mr. Udny, who appears to have entered with much inter- 
est into his views for the promotion of Christianity in India. 
The late learned and lamented Dr. Ley den had at one time 
proposed to accompany Dr. Buchanan in his tour ; but this 
plan, though it would doubtless have proved mutually agree- 
able and beneficial, was finally abandoned. 

The design of this extensive and laborious journey cannot 
be better explained than in the following quotation from the 
account which Dr. Buchanan afterwards published of his re- 
searches : 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 211 

" *In order to obtain a distinct view of the state of Chris- 
tianity and of superstition in Asia, the superintendents of the 
college had, before this period, entered into correspondence 
with intelligent persons in different countries, and from every 
quarter, (even from the confines of China,) they received en- 
couragement to proceed. But, as contradictory accounts were 
given by different writers concerning the real state of the nu- 
merous tribes in India, both of christians and natives, the 
author conceived the design of devoting the last year or two of 
his residence in the east to purposes of local examination and 
inquiry. 

" The principal objects of this tour were to investigate the 
state of superstition at the most celebrated temples of the Hin- 
doos ; to examine the churches and libraries of the Romish, 
Syrian, and Protestant christians ; to ascertain the present 
state and recent history of the eastern Jews ; and to discover 
what persons might be fit instruments for the promotion of 
learning in their respective countries, and for maintaining a fu- 
ture correspondence on the subject of disseminating the scrip- 
tures in India." 

Such were the important views with which Dr. Buchanan 
entered upon his intended journey. It is no disparagement to 
travels undertaken from motives either of personal curiosity or 
of public utility, to assert, that the tour which Dr. Buchanan 
was meditating, derived, from its disinterested and sacred ob- 
jects, a peculiar degree of dignity and value. If our great 
philanthropist, Howard, was justly eulogized by a late cele- 
brated statesman for his indefatigable and self-denying exer- 
tions in " travelling over land and sea," not to gratify his taste, 
or to extend his fame, but " to remember the forgotten, to at- 
tend the neglected, and to visit the forsaken," it is not too 
much to say, that although the labours of that eminent person 
were more various and continued, it required, in a man of infirm 
and precarious health, like Dr. Buchanan, a degree of Zealand 
resolution to enter upon his projected journey, which reflects 
upon him the highest honour. And although in each case the 
love of God and of man was the prevailing motive, the object 
of the one was, in proportion to its extent, as much more im- 
portant than the other, as inquiries into spiritual wants with a 
view to their relief are more weighty than those which con- 
cern temporal necessities, and as interests of eternal duration 
are more momentous than any which are bounded by the nar- 
row limits of time. It must be remembered, too, that, with 

* Christian Researches, Introduct. p. 7, 8. 



212 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the exception of the accommodations afforded him by the 
kindness of the Governor General, and the hospitality of the 
British residing at the different stations through which he pass- 
ed, Dr. Buchanan's extensive tour was undertaken exclusively 
at his own expense. 

On the 3d of May Dr. Buchanan left Calcutta on his way to 
the south ; and on his arrival the same day at Fulta, forty 
miles below that city, he wrote to Colonel Sandys as follows : 

11 My dear Sandys, — I am thus far on my journey to Mala- 
bar. I propose to visit Juggernaut first, and hope to be there 
early in June, when the grand festival of the Rutt Jattra 
takes place. Sir George Barlow has been so good as to lend 
me some of the Governor General's small tents, so that I shall 
travel very comfortably. My inquiries, you know, have a 
threefold aspect, Hindoos, Jews, and Christians. The bands 
of infidelity and superstition are loosening fast, and Calcutta is 
by no means the place it was when you were here. 

" I have heard this morning that the fleet from England, 
which went to the Cape, is expected at Madras every day, as 
one of the ships is already arrived. In this fleet, your friend, 
Mr. Martyn, is passenger. Mr. Jeffries has been appointed 
to act as my substitute in the new church in my absence, which 
will be about six or eight months, if, indeed, I should ever re- 
turn ; for my route is full of danger and difficulty to one infirm 
as I am. With some view, 1 trust, to the glory of God, I 
have purposed ; but it is He who must dispose of me and my 
objects as shall seem to him best. 

" 1 remain, my dear Sandys, very affectionately yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

Dr. Buchanan, from the time of his arrival at Juggernaut, 
kept a regular journal of his tour, parts of which, it is well 
known, he afterwards published on his return to this country. 
He maintained also a constant correspondence during his jour- 
ney with the Rev. Dr. Brown, and from these letters a series 
of extracts shall now be given, which, avoiding, for the most 
part, the repetition of what Dr. Buchanan himself communi- 
cated to the public, will afford a connected view of his whole 
tour, and contain some additional information, as well as 
some instructive and interesting reflections on the various 
scenes through which he passed in this original and enterpris- 
ing journey. A few letters which Dr. Buchanan wrote to his 
friends in Europe in the course of his tour will also be inserted 
in their order. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 213 

The first letter to Mr. Brown, dated the 10th of May, from 
Fulta, informs him, that Dr. Buchanan continued in good 
health, and that his servants and travelling equipage were all 
well appointed. On the 13th he thus wrote from Contai : 

44 I arrived here the day before yesterday in good health and 
fine spirits. My tents were first hoisted on the backs of ele- 
phants, belonging to a Hindoo Rajah, in my journey to the 
south. I ought always to speak well of the Hindoo people. 

"Mr. Mason's kindness and attention are very remarkable ; 
and I am in danger of being detained in my way, like Abra- 
ham's servant, by hospitality, before the business be done. 
But I see there is much to be done by the way which I 
thought not of. 

4k I shall leave this place to-morrow, perhaps, or next day, 
and hope to arrive at Balasore on the 20th, where I propose to 
stay two days, and then proceed with the pilgrims (who now 
cover the roads) to Juggernaut. 

44 I am in haste to pass over the marshy lands of the salt 
districts, lest fever should come. If it should come here, or 
before I arrive at my journey's end, and you should not see 
me again, I pray you to consider it as the hand of God, giving 
glory to his own cause in his own way, leading our feeble re- 
solves in triumph to a certain stage, and then calling another 
servant. I leave all my temporal affairs in perfect order. I 
have no papers, literary or religious ; so that no trouble awaits 
my executors, except those in England, to whom I have con- 
signed the religious education of my two little girls." 

The concluding observations of this letter point out in a sim- 
ple yet solemn manner the entire resignation of its author to 
the divine will, and evidently imply his preparation for every 
event of his journey. The spirit of calm yet devoted piety 
which they breathe, is at once to be admired and imitated. 

In a letter on the 17th, from Jellasore, where he waited for 
his elephant and horse, the following passage occurs : 

44 At Mohunpore, between Contai and this place, I stopped 
a night. Juggernaut is to be found there in miniature ; having 
the same name and service. The Hindoo Zemindar gave me 
a feast, and presented me with a sword, a piece of fine cloth, 
and ten rupees at parting. When I began to eat, Juggernaut's 
bells began to ring. 1 asked the reason, and was told that Jug- 
gernaut had begun his supper. So we ate together for near 
half an hour, during which time the gongs and bells continued 
a horrid clangor. 

44 This temple is falling into decay for want of revenue." 

On the 25th and 27th, Mr. Buchanan thus describes from 



214 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Bslasore his mode of travelling, and the conjectures of the 
natives concerning the ohject of his journey : 

44 The commanding officer here has given me a guard of 
seven seapoys all the way to Outtack, which is seven days' 
march. 1 passed through a jungle where tigers abound. One 
sprung on a large bullock last week, but he could not carry 
him oil", and the bullock escaped. The tiger hunters showed 
me their manner of shooting timers with arrows. 

44 1 leave this place to-morrow ; and on the 4th of June, I 
expect to be at Outtack. Juggernaut is only three or four days 
from Outtack. 

44 1 find it inconvenient to have many followers. I have 
therefore discharged some servants from this place, and also a 
supernumerary tent. I have but few wants on a march, as to 
eating and drinking ; and I cannot be troubled with table- 
cloths. I enjoy refreshing tea after my ride in the morning ; 
for I generally ride one half of the march on horseback, and 
sometimes on an elephant. I sometimes use my gun, at which 
I was formerly as expert as any of the writers. But I feel a 
repugnance in killing harmless animals which I did not feel 

formerly. Tell H that during the two last days' march, 

I saw beautiful peacocks sitting on the lofty trees by the road 
side, and monkeys leaping from branch to branch, holding their 
young ones in their arms. 

44 You may direct to me to the care of the postmaster at 
Outtack until further notice. I am very well known now in 
this country, so that all letters will easily come to hand. In- 
deed there has been a singular spirit of inquiry among the 
natives on the subject of the march of a company's Padre ; 
and I learn from them, that I am a rich man, proceeding on a 
pilgrimage, to worship the God of the christians, not far from 
Singhul Deep." 

Dr. Buchanan's next lette'r is dated May 31st, from Bud- 
druck in Orissa, from which he began to anticipate his ap- 
proach to Juggernaut, and the frightful impression of which, 
from the bones of pilgrims with which the road in its neigh- 
bourhood was strewed, he has painted in such striking colours 
in the first published extract from his Journal.* The follow- 
ing account of a rencontre with a Hindoo Rajah, is from his 
letter to Mr. Brown : 

44 Juggernaut's temples begin to multiply as I move on. 
The common huts are decorated by his horrid face. The 



* Christian Researches, p. 19. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 215 

Sany asses (holy men) are now more naked ; and the talk and 
manners of the Byraggies more licentious. 

The Kunka or Kannaka Rajah paid me a visit at my tent 
last night. I had heard he had formerly murdered some Eng- 
lish sailors who were wrecked on his coast, between Balasore 
and Juggernaut, and therefore resolved not to acknowledge him 
as a gentleman. I accordingly desired a table to be placed on 
the lawn before the tent, and one chair, in which I sat with a 
book before me. The Rajah came up with much ceremony, 
and presented a nuzzur. I did not rise from my seat, nor 
offer him one. He was much embarrassed. I spoke to him 
civilly; and presently rose up and made salam to him as a sig- 
nal to depart. The crowd of Faquirs and Sanyasses could 
not understand this. After he was gone I told them the reason, 
and that I could not, as a christian Padre, bow to vice, whether 
in a Rajah or in a Priest. This seemed something new to 
them ; but one of them, a very old man, said it was very 
proper. 

"I believe I mentioned to you that it was my purpose to 
move rapidly by dawk along the coast from Juggernaut to 
Cochin, staying a few days at Madras. Hitherto I have suf- 
fered no inconveniences from heat or fatigue. I am therefore 
encouraged to try a flying course for a few weeks. 

" At Jagepoor, my next stage, the names of all the pilgrims 
are registered. Illustrious names, for four hundred years back, 
are found on giving a small fee." 

On the 6th of June, Dr. Buchanan reached Cuttack, from 
whence he wrote the two next amusing and interesting letters : 

"I arrived here yesterday after eight days' march without 
seeing a white face ; aboriginal Uriahs, Burgahs, that is, Mah- 
rattas, and Loll Jattris, being all my society. I hear I am ex- 
pected at Juggernaut, fame having travelled before, and inform- 
ed him that a Company's Padre is on a progress. No unworthy 
suspicion is yet entertained, I believe ; and I am received at the 
Bhur or Banian tree of each Munzil with a hurrebol by my 
fellow Padres and their flocks. The scene is rather comic ; 
but so it is. Notes tragic I sound not ; and thus we travel on- 
ward harmoniously together. 

" I dine to day with Mr. Hartwell, register, and to-morrow 
with Colonel Marley. Next day, Sunday, is sacred; and next 
day to it, Monday, I dine with the judge of the province, Mr. 
Ker, who has offered me every aid in the prosecution of my 
journey. On Tuesday I proceed for Juggernaut. 

" The novel scenes of this place occupy my attention, but I 
meet with nothing worthy of description. It is just as I told 



21 G MEM DIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

you ; I have not yet had pen or pencil in my hand since I left 
Calcutta. I have lived too long lor natural history. What are 
called manners and customs of a people, are nearly as futile to 
him who is inquiring in what state a people are in relation to 
the Almighty, and to the purpose of their creation." 

" Cuttack, 8th June, 1806. 
11 The tigers abound in the vicinity of Juggernaut, and kill 
the pilgrims. A hunting party of eight elephants have lately 
proceeded from this place to kill them. 

44 It is supposed that eight lacks of pilgrims are already ar- 
rived at Juggernaut. 

" The Kunka Rajah, alarmed at my reception of him, and 
fearing lest I should give an unfavourable character of him at 
this place, followed me, and overtook me in two marches. He 
requested moolaqat. I explained to him the cause of my con- 
duct towards him. He said he repented of his former sins, 
and hoped the British government would pardon him. I told 
him that on condition of his learning English principles I 
would befriend him, if I could. He is at present under the dis- 
pleasure of our government, having defended his fort after the 
conquest of the country, which cost us blood and money. His 
first request was, that I would intercede for him with the judge 
of the province, that he should be permitted to visit Jugger- 
naut, which was formerly refused. I mentioned the circum- 
stance to Mr. Ker last night, who has given him permission. 
The Rnjah is now here, with an immense Sowarree ; and 1 sup- 
pose we shall proceed together to Juggernaut. 

44 Much attention is paid to me by all ranks of people here, 
attention undeserved and unnecessary. The tone is favourable 
to civilization, and the language conciliating and decorous on 
all grave subjects. 

44 In the meantime, this world, like the wilderness through 
which I am passing, has nothing interesting to my hopes or 
fears. And I have more comfort in reading" a Hymn of Watts, 
than in contemplating plans of improvement for India. I look 
to no resting place but in a close walk with God. To find that, 
is a more valuable eugnx* than to find manusciipts at Cochin. 

44 The commander of the troops in this province has ordered 
a guard of seven seapovs for me to the Madras frontier, Gan- 
jam. I am glad I shall have them around me among the priests 
at Juggernaut. 

44 Tell H that there is a fort here built by a proud king, 

having the following inscription in Persian on the gate. ' My 
walls are of iron, and my ditch is full of alligators. I shall 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 217 

never be taken.' And so, because be trusted not in God, but 
in his iron walls, his fort was taken by Colonel H ." 

Of Juggernaut,* one of the principal objects of Dr. Bu- 
chanan's journey, of his stupendous temple and countless wor- 
shippers, of the impure rites and ceremonies exhibited by his 
priests, aud of the cruel sacrifices by which this Moloch of the 
East is propitiated, the public has been so fully informed by 
Dr. Buchanan himself, that it is unnecessary to repeat his dread- 
fully interesting narrative of the whole scene. t His letters to 
Mr. Brown, though in a somewhat varied form, contain sub- 
stantially the same details ; and, like the extracts from his 
Journal, to which any who are desirous of farther information 
are referred, cannot be read without the deepest emotions of 
horror and pity, and without exciting in every benevolent and 
christian mind an ardent prayer, that the time may not be far 
distant when these abominations shall cease, and the horrid 
tower of Juggernaut be replaced by the temple of the God of 
purity and love. A few circumstances, however, which did 
not appear in the Journal, shall be added from the letters to Mr. 
Brown, from the 14th to the 21st of June. 

" I shall not enter into farther detail of the state of super- 
stition here. Suffice it to say, that all you have heard is true. 
A short record of facts maybe committed to paper; but I have 
no design of disclosing the philosophy of Juggernaut at this 
time ; and I hope that it will never be necessary." 

Such was Dr. Buchanan's intention at this period ; but the 
time at length came when an imperious sense of duty compel- 
led him to publish it. 

" Tell H.," continues Dr. Buchanan, " (who gets all my na- 
tural history and political remarks,) that the temple of Jugger- 
naut is so high, that men appear on the top of it like crows ; 
and that it is surrounded by a square area of great extent, in 
each side of which there is a gateway larger than the pagoda 
near your house. 

" A chief object of my journey is perhaps accomplished by 
my having seen Juggernaut. Nothing has been, I believe, 
concealed from me. Every question is answered, and I scarce- 
ly wish to know more. I shall continue to mix with the peo- 
ple two days more, and then I proceed to Ganjam. Mr. 
Hunter is desirous that I should prolong my visit ; but my 
spirit of inquiry is exhausted, and my body is fatigued with 

* The popular orthography of this word is here adopted, as more familiar to 
the English reader. For an "account of the origin of this idol and his worship^ 
see the eighth volume of the Asiatic Researches. 

t Christian Researches, pp. 19—32. 

T 



218 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

my spirits ; so that I look forward to my journey for relief 
from this twofold oppression. 

44 I write this from the plain of sculls, near the sea; and 
it so happens that a scull is under my chair, half buried in the 
sand." 

" Juggernaut, Saturday, 21st June, 1806. 

44 I propose to proceed on my journey this evening, that I 
may find a place of rest for my Sabbath, to-morrow, far off 
from Juggernaut. My best Sabbaths are generally in the wil- 
derness. 

44 The number of pilgrims here is uncertain. Mr. Hunter 
has no means of probable calculation. From the nature of the 
place, we perhaps did not see more than two or three hundred 
thousand persons at the same time. But I cannot judge, any 
more than I could say how many grains there are in a handful 
of sand. 

44 Can it be that the true seed of Abraham shall be 4 as the 
sand upon the sea shore for multitude V Doubtless it is true ; 
and with this faith I conclude my last line to you from Jug- 
gernaut."* 

Dr. Buchanan himself published his reflections on viewing 
the distant towers of Juggernaut from an eminence on the de- 
lightful banks of the Chilka Lake, and the design which he 
then conceived of some 44 christian institution," which might 
gradually undermine the frightful idolatry he had been contem- 
plating, and blot out its memory for ever. This was on Sun- 
day, the 22d. On the 29th he dates from Ganjam, and thus 
continues his correspondence with Mr. Brown : 

44 1 write to you from a new Presidency. I am happy I did 
not die at Juggernaut, (the danger was imminent.) My record 
is engraved in strong legible characters, and it is of less im- 
portance where I shall die ; I mean in reference to my testi- 
mony against the empire of Moloch, 4 whose seat in the whole 
earth is Juggernaut.' His horrors have awakened me a little, 
and I have committed to paper some notices of my route from 
Bengal. 

44 On my entrance into the Madras territory, I have expe- 
rienced great civility and attention. Here I leave my tents, 
servants, and equipage, and I proceed by dawk to Fort St. 
George. Mr. Cherry, the judge, being doubtful whether I 
shall not feel inconvenience in having no servant at all, has 
issued orders for a dooly to be prepared for my steward, and 

* Christian Researches, p. 31. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN- 219 

has provided means of carrying him close to my own palan- 
quin to the extremity of this province. 

" I encounter now a new mode of travelling. How I shall 
bear it I cannot tell. The chief suffering is the want of a bed, 
which I have already sometimes experienced. But I am anx- 
ious to get to the capital. On the other side I shall take my 
time." 

"Ganjam, 1st July, 1806. 

" I proceed this evening on my journey to Visagapatam by 
dawk. I dine first with Captain E. He has been planting 
one lack and fifty thousand cocoanut trees, and has made a 
barren land like the garden of Eden. 

" 1 have been among the mountains for some days, and vi- 
sited Rumbo, the famous villa on the Chilka Lake. I look at 
what is wonderful or great in the eyes of men. 

" My residence at each of my stations is a history, if it were 
written. New places, new characters, new politics. Truth 
alone is the same." 

" Visagapatam, 6th July, 1806. 

" Before this reaches you, I shall probably be at Madras. 

"I found travelling by dawk very pleasant. It affords me 
more time to stop at places of importance. 

" The families here pay me much attention, and have made 
a party for me to go out to see a celebrated pagoda, (not yet no- 
ticed by any writer, because not seen,) about sixteen miles in 
the interior among the mountains. 

" I have no news for H., except that I live among lofty moun- 
tains, from which I see ships far off at sea, and hear the roar 
of the billows on the rocky shore." 

" Visagapatam, 12th July, 1S06. 

" The pagoda at Seemachalum is in many respects more in- 
teresting than Juggernaut. No scene of nature I have yet be- 
held is so romantic as the site and vicinity of this temple, 
which is built on a rocky mountain. You ascend nearly a 
quarter of a mile by steps of hewn stone and of live rock. A 
stream of pure water issues from the mount, and this is the 
sacred fountain, and the origin of the temple. Here the idola- 
try of Juggernaut is exhibited in another form ; but the sub- 
stance is the same. 

" I have not been able to disengage myself from this so- 
ciety till the present hour. I proceed on my journey this 
morning. I have passed the last two days with Mr. C., the 



220 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

collector here, at his beautiful mansion on the top of a hill, 
from which we look clown on the deck of the St. Fiorenzo and 
the Albatross, which appear like two little boats below." 

" Samclcotta, 15th July, 1806. 

" I intended to have passed this place without stopping, but 
Colonel O'Reilly, who commands the troops here, came to the 
bazar for me himself, and prevailed on me to stay a night. 

" I am in great danger of being detained frequently in my 
future progress through these territories. 

"I have this evening visited the botanic garden, over which 
Dr. R. formerly presided." 

From this point no letter to Mr. Brown occurs till Dr. Bu- 
chanan's arrival at Madras. In a memorandum book which 
remains, he notices a sail on the Godavery ; and that at Ellore, 
where he hired bearers for Madras, he passed through a flat 
country, bounded by the horizon. 

On the 3d of August Dr. Buchanan thua-resumes his corres- 
pondence : 

" Madras, 3d August, 1805. 

" 1 arrived here on the 31st July, and am now hospitably 
lodged in the house of Mr. H. I was retarded in my journey 
by a fever, which seized me between Rajamundry and Ongole, 
far off from medical aid. It was accompanied by the same 
symptoms as my former. I found a great difference between 
this last illness in a palanquin in a jungle, and the former, 
when I was surrounded by the skilful and the good. On my 
arrival at Ongole, I obtained some medicine from a native, 
which was useful. I am now well again. 

" Tell H. that all my way from the Chilka Lake to Madras 
I did not see one scull ; that the people on the sea-coast are 
generally without cast ; that they are humane to strangers ; 
and that the women used to make broths and congee for me 
when I was sick of the fever. They eat pork and all meats. 
The Telinga missionaries will have a fine harvest if they la- 
bour among them. No rain has fallen since I left Juggernaut. 
The w r eather has been temperate and very favourable to my 
journey. I shall now meet with rains in Tanjore, Mr. R. 
tells me." 

" Madras, 6th August, 1806. 
"I have letters for every station to the south, and letters 
from almost every station inviting me to call. There has in- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 221 

deed been so much blood shed at Vellore, and so many gen- 
tlemen murdered, that an attack on me would not be thought 
strange. 

"In the meantime government have authorized me to pro- 
ceed, and desired me to communicate my observations on the 
state of the christians in the south. I trust, therefore, that my 
way is not of myself, but of Providence directing me. 

" I Ivisited yesterday the deputy Bishop at St. Thome, and 
the ancient Portuguese library. Mr. T., the Gentoo scholar, 
goes to see it to-morrow. It contains, among other valuable 
books, the Bullarium Magnum Romanum, or the Pope's Sta- 
tutes at large during the dark ages. 

" At Tritchinopoly is another famous library, and a Syrian 
church. 

" Tell H. that I saw yesterday St. Thomas' bones, preserved 
as a relic, in a gold shrine ; and that I saw his grave, whence 
the Roman Catholic pilgrims carry the dust." 

" Poxdicherhy, 13th Aug. 1806. 

"I have travelled these two days with Mr. E., the oriental- 
ist, and Mr. S., Judge of Tinavelley. Mr. E. is extremely 
attentive to me, and wishes to oblige me by every information 
in his power. 

" It is impossible for me to conceal my name, as was pro- 
posed. The christians have heard of it, and I am greeted by 
them as one who comes in the name of government to do them 
good. I already know what is to be done at the missionary 
stations. Dr. R. and others informed me fully. From every 
quarter there is a cry of the sheep for a shepherd. They meet 
and pray under a tree, and the Brahmins mock." 

Dr. Buchanan's next letter is , dated from Ziegenbalg's 
church, in Tranquebar, August 25th. Of the visit which he 
paid to this spot, consecrated by the memory of the first chris- 
tian missionaries to India, and of his subsequent arrival at 
Tanjore, he has given an account in the work which has been 
already referred to.* This was, however, so interesting a part 
of his tour, that it appears desirable to give a sketch of it from 
his correspondence, together with a few particulars, which 
were either wholly omitted, or but partially detailed in his 
journal. 

" I have just visited the tomb of Ziegenbalg, which is on the 
side of the altar in the church he built. It was consecrated on 

* Christian Researches, p. 65 — 81. 
T 2 



222 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the 2d of October, 1718, and he died on the 23d of February, 
1719. I heard divine service performed in the Tamul tongue, 
and about two hundred natives sung the hundredth psalm. 
During the sermon some of them wrote on an olla or Palmyra 
leaf. The missionary told me that the catechists sometimes 
take down a whole sermon in this manner, and repeat it to the 
children in the evening. 

44 I also visited Ziegenbalg's dwelling-house, built by him- 
self, and not altered since his time. I inspected the records of 
baptism commencing in May, 1706. Mr. C, a missionary here, 
told me they had some thoughts of celebrating the hundredth 
anniversary this year, but they had no money. 

44 1 then visited the library in which Ziegenbalg first preach- 
ed ; and afterwards a small chapel on the sea-shore, in which 
he sometimes exhorted. The library is extensive and valuable, 
but in a perishing state. Here I found the Hindostanee Psalter ; 
and I am informed that at Tanjore I shall find a Hindostanee 
Grammar, published about sixty years ago. 

44 The Jesuits at Pondicherry have a fine collection of ancient 
Indian history. They very politely gave me all the books I 
wanted, and letters of introduction to their brethren in the south. 
They also furnished me with a late statement of their churches 
in India ; and Padre B. requested leave to correspond with me 
in Latin. 

" Dr. John is at Tanjore, where I expect to see him and Mr. 
KolhofF in two or three days. 

" The most pious man I have yet found is Mr. S., a young 
missionary, lately arrived. He assured me that there are some 
real christians among the Hindoo converts. At Cuddalore I 
passed a night with Mr. H. At that place the Cadet Company 
(one hundred and twenty strong) is now established on account 
of the salubrity of the situation. 

44 At the celebrated pagoda of Chillumbrum, near Porto Novo, 
I was admitted (I know not why) into the interior, while the 
priests made Pooja. I never had such a clear revelation of this 
idolatry before. The dancing girls were present. The Judge 
of the place, Mr. R., had introduced me to the Brahmins the 
evening before in the outer court. During the ceremony two 
immense bells were rung and drums were beat. My heart be- 
gan to palpitate a little, from fear I believe ; and I hastily re- 
tired. This is a remarkable scene. I could easily pass a 
month at every stage This is more illustrious than classic 
ground. For here Ziegenbalg and Grundler preached the gos- 
pel to men, whose descendants I have conversed with, and who 
can justly appreciate the heavenly gift. The Danish Governor 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 223 

here invited the missionaries to meet me. Tanjore is the grand 
theatre of the gospel in late years, and to that place I proceed 
this afternoon ; but I shall stay one day at Combeconum, where 
the oriental E. is Judge. He is very anxious to see some pages 
of a Portuguese book which I procured from the Jesuits at 
Pondicherry. It is about three hundred years old. He is a 
great admirer of the genius of Xavier, and thinks that a Pro- 
testant missionary of such powers might convert Hindostan." 

'• CoMEECoNUivr, near Tanjore, Aug. 27, 1806. 

" In the midst of some horrible looking bloodred idols, I 
shall write a few lines. Mr. E. is not yet arrived here, having 
supposed that I should have staid longer at Tranquebar ; which 
I should have done, had I not been afraid of a number of en- 
tertainments. These are sometimes useful, for the best infor- 
mation I generally obtain is from the chief people. They were 
all much surprised at the interest I took in the ancient mission 
of Ziegenbalg. The missionaries themselves were ignorant of 
many subjects of my inquiry ; and were a good deal ashamed, 
I believe, at my notice of the former glory of the mission com- 
pared with its present state. I have reason to believe that the 
three London missionaries, Desgranges, Cran, and Mr. Palm,* 
are three holy men ; and it appears as if the glory had now de- 
parted from Germany, and was given to England. So Mr. S. 
speaks. He is a promising young man ; and as his society 
gives him only three hundred rupees a year, I gave him a half 
year's salary to buy some clothes and books. Though he has 
been but two years in India, he pronounced a very good sermon 
in the Tamul tongue, which the native catechist told me was 
perfectly intelligible to all the congregation. 

"It is a pleasant thing to see an assembly of natives listening 
most earnestly to a sermon. Every one of them can read the 
Bible ; and Luther's first Psalter (the German Gesang Buch) is 
very familiar with them. They sing a great variety of tunes 
with much propriety," 

"Tanjore, 1st Sept. 1806. 

" This is the grand scene of all. This is the garden of the 
gospel, 

" Some days before my arrival here, the Resident, Major 
Blackburne, wrote to me, inviting me to reside at his house. 



* Mrs. P. is a help meet in the gospel. She learns the languages faster than 
her husband, and devotes herself to the real object of the mission. Mr. P. is at 
Jaffnapatam, 



224 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

This was unexpected, for as yej I had no communication with 
Tanjore. On my arrival there, I first waited on Mr. KolhofT, 
and he showed me two rooms, which he had prepared for my 
reception. He told me that the Rajah (Serfogee) was impatient 
to see me, and had directed the Resident to let him know when 
I came. I asked how the Rajah came to know me. He 
said that the Resident had a copy of my memoir, and of Mr. 
Mitchell's essay. 

44 Mr. Kolhoff is first in piety, in ardour, in meekness, and 
in knowledge of the Tamul ; for he has been brought up chiefly 
in India. His countenance is more expressive of amiable qua- 
lities of mind than that of any man I ever saw. Major Black- 
burne admires him much." 

"Tanjore, 2d Sept. 1806. 

44 On my arrival here on Friday last, the 29th of August, 
great numbers of christians came to visit me ; and Mr. Kolhoff 
introduced some particularly to me, as being truly godly and 
intelligent men. He gave me also an account of many trium- 
phant deaths lately, both of men and women, young and old. 

44 As I went to the Resident's house I passed through a long 
street inhabited by christians only. They stood in rows as we 
passed, and bowed affectionately to their pastor, the young wo- 
men coming forward with lively confidence, and soliciting his 
benediction. The infants also form themselves in little rows, 
and waiting his approach make the customary salutation, 4 God 
be praised.' 

44 When we arrived at the Resident's, he told me that the 
Rajah had appointed next day (Saturday) at noon to receive 
me. I proceeded accordingly to the palace, accompanied by 
the Resident: the Rajah arose on our entrance, and taking me 
by the hand led me to a seat on his right. He spoke English 
very well, and intimated that he knew me very well. After 
some conversation, he carried me up to his splendid apartments, 
which are ornamented w T ith the portraits of the Tanjore kings. 
All around there is a display of gold, silver, and mirrors, En- 
glish paintings, libraries, musical instruments, orreries, port- 
folios of oriental drawings, and many curiosities in art and na- 
ture. Finding that I wished to hear the music of the vino,* he 
ordered up the chief musician. He has a band of twenty per- 
formers, of whom twelve play on the vina, and one on the 
harp. The whole black band can read English music. In the 

* Described by Sir William Jones in the third volume of the Asiatic Re- 
searches. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 225 

evening his highness sent the band to Major B., where I dined. 
Six vinas and six singers played ■ God save the King,' in 
Tamu] words, applied to the Maha Rajah. They played also 
a variety of English overtures and Indian airs, the master of the 
band sitting by and keeping time. 

44 My visit to the Rajah was very long. Oar chief conver- 
sation related to Mr. Swartz. When I first mentioned his name, 
his highness led me up to the picture of the reverend apostle. 
He then showed me the design for the groupe for the marble 
monument, now executing by Mr. Bacon in England. It re- 
presents the Rajah coming to the bed of the dying Swartz, and 
taking him affectionately by the hand, while a number of boys 
are weeping at his feet. 

44 When I was about to depart, the Rajah presented me, to 
my great surprise, with a picture of himself, a miniature about 
six inches in length, elegantly set in a gold and silver frame, 
and glazed. We then went down stairs and resumed our seats. 
I took this opportunity (having previously acquainted the Re- 
sident with my purpose, who communicated it to the Rajah) of 
thanking his highness, in the name of the society at home, and 
of all Mr. Swartz's friends in India, for the remarkable kind- 
ness shown by the Rajah to that worthy man, and to his suc- 
cessors, and for the munificent support granted lately by the 
Rajah to the body of christians in his dominions. 

44 To this he replied in suitable terms, declaring it to be his 
purpose to befriend the christians for ever. He then called for 
pawn ; and immediately afterwards a servant came up with four 
pieces of gold cloth of different kinds, which the Rajah taking 
into his hands presented to me. He then put a chaplet of 
flowers round my neck, (this is the usual etiquette,) and a 
bracelet of flowers on my arms, and, leading me and the Re- 
sident, one in each hand, to the steps of the hall, he bowed 
and retired. 

"The Rajah has lately erected a college for Hindoos, Mo- 
hammedans, and Christians. Fifty christian boys are admitted, 
and taught by schoolmasters provided by the missionaries. 
The expense of this institution is (according to the account of 
the Resident) about five lacks of rupees. But this includes the 
expense of buildings. It is also a charitable asylum for the 
aged, and a choultry for travellers, there being an apartment 
for every denomination. His highness wished me to visit his 
college. It is about fifteen miles from Tanjore. He is now 
constructing a brass orrery to represent the Tychonic system ; 
which he washes to believe rather than the Copernican, as it is 
the system of the Brahmins. He is still a heathen ; but Dr. 



226 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

John says he is a Cornelius. The Brahmins fear him for his 
learning, and dread the result. 

44 Last Sunday (the 30th August,) was a great day among 
the christians at Tan j ore. It being rumoured that a friend of 
Mr. Swartz was arrived, the christians flocked together from 
all quarters. Divine service was performed three times. In 
the morning we all proceeded to Mr. Swartz's church in the 
fort. It is a large, commodious building, not inferior to your 
Calcutta church. Mr. KolhoiTread prayers in English, and I 
preached. When I came to the mention of the faithful minis- 
ters whom God had sent to his people in this place, there 
was a general commotion, and Mr. Kolhoff 's tears ilowed fast, 
which not a little affected his flock. Having understood that 
the missionaries seldom prayed for the reigning prince of the 
country, I thought it expedient to say, (in enumerating the 
themes of gratitude of the church here,) 4 and it is their bound- 
en duty to pray for the long life, peace, and prosperity of the 
present most excellent prince, who hath manifested by many 
munificent acts his regard for their happiness and welfare.' 

44 At eleven o'clock, the Tamul congregation assembled, 
filling the whole church, and Dr. John preached a powerful 
and eloquent sermon in the Tamul language. 

44 In the vestry all the native teachers and preachers came 
to make their speeches to me ; and among others the cele- 
brated Sattianaden, the Hindoo preacher. He is now stricken 
in years and infirm. His black hair is grown grey. He is 
rather stout, and has a placid look^ which is rendered more 
pleasing by his wrinkles and age. He said to me, alluding to 
some part of my sermon, 4 This news from a far country, is 
refreshing to our souls.' 

44 We dined at Mr. KolhofT's at one o'clock, and at five we 
went to the small church out of the fort, in which Mr. Swartz 
first preached, and where now his body lies. It is close by 
the schools and Mr. K.'s house and mission garden. Here 
Mr. Horst preached in the Portuguese tongue from these 
words : ' Ye who were once afar off,' &c. This was a so- 
lemn service. The organ was drowned by the human voices, 
which sung a tune of Luther's in a noble manner. I was sit- 
ting with my feet on the granite stone which covers Swartz's 
grave. Upon the stone is an English epitaph in verse, writ- 
ten by the present Rajah. In the evening, Mr. K. catechised 
(or superintended the exercise) in the schools ; and the ser- 
mon of the morning was read over by one of the short-hand 
w r riters, and every boy's olla was examined to see how much 
he had written. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 227 

81 Having expressed a wish to hear Sattianaden preach, the 
same was intimated to ihe people, and they were des.ired to 
assemble at the little church next morning (Monday) at nine 
o'clock. Accordingly a great number came together, and the 
venerable minister delivered a sermon full of fire. His na- 
tural eloquence and various intonation were truly calculated to 
command attention. Both Mr. KolhofF and Dr. John were 
affected by the discourse. It had reference to the former 
darkness in India, the light of Ziegenbalg and Swartz, the 
present endeavour to spread the gospel, and lastly the light of 
heaven. He addressed the young generation chiefly, and they 
responded* as usual to many of his sentences. He made 
great use of the Bible ; but in quoting a passage, he called 
upon a lower minister to read it with a distinct voice, to which 
he himself listened as to a record, and then proceeded to ex- 
pound. His prayer for the Church of England at the end 
was full of fervour ; and the psalm which concluded the ser- 
vice was sung with an ardent devotion. 

88 1 went up to Sattianaden in the presence of the people, 
and addressed him in a few words, hoping he would be faithful 
unto death, like his old master Swartz. The women and 
aged men crowded round, and shed tears. The whole multi- 
tude came after the sermon to Mr. Kolhoff's house and gar- 
den. The catechists and aged christians came into the veran- 
dahs, and while Mr. KolhofF and myself were engaged up 
stairs, Dr. John addressed them in an affectionate and im- 
pressive manner. 

" Mr. KolhofF had been praying that there might be an out- 
pouring of the Spirit in these days at Tanjore, and circum- 
stances made him believe that it was coming. His success is 
indeed great. The congregation is doubled since Mr. Swartz's 
death. 

88 Not wishing to leave this people without some mark of 
my regard, I have given Mr. KolhofF fifty pounds sterling as 
a 'donation to the native catechists of the protestant mission,' 
to be distributed according to Mr. K.'s pleasure. 

88 The Resident requested that I would dine with him on 
Monday evening, and invited all the missionaries to meet me. 

88 Mr. KolhofF has presented me with a gold and agate 
snuff-box, which belonged to the late Rev. Mr. Swartz; and 
the mission here has given me from the library a Hebrew 



* Referring to an interesting custom, which Dr. Buchanan has fully detailed 
in his Christian Researches, p. 71. 



228 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Psalter, which he constantly used ; and also his Greek Tes- 
tament. You shall have the latter if you like. 

44 I proceed to-morrow to Tritchinopoly to Mr. Pohle, an 
aged missionary, and a good Hebrew and Syriac scholar. I 
procured here a beautiful gilt Syriac Testament, and some 
tracts in Syriac, translated from the German by Mr. Swartz. 
There is in the library a copy of Schultz's Hindostanee Gram- 
mar, published at Halle, in 1745. Nor is that the first; for 
Schultz mentions one printed some years before by the Dutch 
ambassador at Agra, Johannes Josua Ketelaer, and edited by 
David Millius at Utrecht. 

44 1 am now going to inspect Mr. Swartz's correspondence, 
which fills two boxes, He kept the letters of his friends, and 
destroyed his own. I could stay a month at Tanjore, but I 
must be gone. No fear of Vellore Brahmins or Mussulmans 
in this land. The christians form a firm phalanx around me. 
But if I should not be permitted to proceed farther, I may be 
thankful that something is done here. 

"Tell H. that I have seen many wonderful things of late, 
but that I cease to wonder at any thing ; and that I should be 
glad to have her, or some other little girl like Augusta, along 
with me, that I might enjoy the pleasure of seeing her asto- 
nished now and then. 

"The interesting scenes of the christian missions have 
lately obliterated from my mind the poor Syrians and Jews, 
although I am just on their borders ; and, being on the borders, 
I can get no information about them from any European. 
Every body refers me to Colonel Macaulay. 

44 Mr. Pohle told me, that a Romish priest, who was lately 
in the vicinity of Tritchinopoly, preached the atonement with 
great clearness and force, to the astonishment of the people ; 
and that he had been removed by his superiors in consequence. 
I shall endeavour to find him out. If I could make a confi- 
dant of a Jesuit, he would be an admirable companion in my 
tour. 

44 1 have just read the orders of the Madras government 
passed last year, excluding the French and Italian Jesuits from 
ecclesiastical authority in the Deccan, and granting the whole 
to the Archbishop of Goa, and his ignorant native priests. 
This circumstance renders my approaches to the Jesuits more 
facile. I must look into Goa. I have read in French, since I 
left Pondicherry, La Croze's Christianity in India, a most ad- 
mirable classical work. His chief subject is the inquisition at 
Goa, and the Syrian christians ; and his last pages are devoted 
to Ziegenbalg. He expresses a hope that some persons will 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 229 

be sent from Europe on an embassy to the Syrian christians, 
to inquire concerning their state, learning, and religion, after so 
long an interval. 

"Joachim at Aughoor told me I should find them in five 
days' march through the woods from Travancore palace ; he 
called them schismatiques, whom no European or Romish 
priest had ever visited." 

During his stay at Tanjore, Dr. Buchanan wrote at consid- 
erable length to his venerable friend, Mr. Newton. His letter 
contained a sketch of his journey up to that time, with a full 
account of the gratifying scenes which he had lately witnessed 
among the christians in that quarter. The publicity which has 
been already given to this narrative renders the repetition of it 
in these memoirs superfluous. Two circumstances only hith- 
erto unnoticed may be mentioned as occurring in the letter to 
Mr. Newton. One is, that Dr. Buchanan, having heard much 
of the sculptures at Vellore, had intended to have been there 
on the 8th of July, which was two days before the dreadful 
massacre took place. " But the providence of God," he 
adds, "retarded my steps. I was visited by a fever, which 
confined me for some time at a caravansera." This tem- 
porary detention was probably the means of preserving his 
life ! 

The other additional circumstance relates to the newly con- 
verted christians ; " some of whom," observes Dr. Buchanan, 
44 have suffered persecution. This has, however, been so far 
useful, that it shows the serious change of mind in the Hindoo 
who can bear it. For it is often alleged in India, that the 
Hindoo can never be so much attached to Christ, as the Brah- 
min to his idol." The constancy of the native christians in 
any instances of persecution for the faith is therefore a suffi- 
cient refutation of this calumny. 

On the same day on which Dr. Buchanan addressed Mr. 
Newton at such length, and on so many important topics, he 
wrote a short letter to his two little girls, then only four and 
five years old, the affectionate simplicity of which will render 
it interesting, at least to parental readers, 

"Taxjore, in India, 1st September, 1806. 
rt My dearest little girls, Charlotte and Augusta, — I hope 
you are very well. Whenever you can both read the Bible, 
let me know, and I shall go home. I want little girls who 
can say to papa at breakfast, ' Papa, we will read the news- 
papers to you, while you take tea.' I want little girls who 

IT 



230 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

can read when papa writes to them so ;* and who do not 
oblige him to draw little letters till his fingers ache. 

" I am happy, my dear children, to hear so good an ac- 
count of you. Be very good, and I shall come to you soon. 

44 1 saw the two little daughters of the king of Tanjore to- 
day. They are covered with pearls and diamonds ; but their 
skins are black ; and they cannot read one word, although 
they are about eight years of age. Therefore my own two 
little girls are more dear to their affectionate father than the 
princesses at Tanjore. C. Buchanan." 

On the 4th of September, Dr. Buchanan addressed the 
following letter to Mr. Henry Thornton, which is par- 
ticularly valuable from the contemporaneous and almost 
local testimony which it contains respecting the cause of the 
unhappy massacre at Vellore, which was afterwards so invi- 
diously brought forward to injure the interests of Christianity 
in India. 

" Seringham Pagoda, near Tritchinopoly, 
"4th Sept. 1806. 

44 Dear Sir, — I had the pleasure of receiving at this place 
your letter of the 16th February, 1806. I am concerned to 
hear of your frequent indisposition. You mention particularly 
that sedentary employment is inconvenient to you ; and you 
notice this as a cause for not writing to me. I do not expect 
that you should write, as you may perceive by my never en- 
tering fully into any particular subject. You have other and 
more important avocations to employ your pen, when you are 
able to sit down. I write to you sometimes, because I feel it 
natural that I should inform you from year to year that I am 
alive. 

" In mentioning Mrs. Buchanan's happy death, you express 
a hope that my last end may be like hers. And what can I 
better wish for you, that when your hour cometh, you may 
die like your father, blessing your children? 

44 It is now four months since I left Calcutta, having tra- 
velled by land all the way, looking into Hindoo superstitions, 
and English manners in India. The officers of government, 
civil and military, English and native, have everywhere shown 



* This refers to the first six lines of his letter, which Dr. Buchanan had 
taken the pains to write, or, to express it more plainly, to print in Roman cha- 
racters. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 231 

me civilities, and aided my inquiries ; and everywhere there 
have been many and serious subjects of inquiry. 

" At most of the stations between Calcutta and Madras 
there is an evident disposition to favour the establishment of a 
christian ministry. But they have no clergy of any kind. 
Two Presbyterian ministers arrived at Visagapatam last year, 
and the inhabitants have now built a house for them. '1 hey 
insisted on their reading the Episcopal liturgy, which they had 
the good sense to do ; and in return they are allowed to preach 
an extempore sermon. 

"At Cuttack, Balasore, Juggernaut, Ganjam, Rajahmundry, 
Nellore, and the intervening stations, there is ' total eclipse.' 
And yet in all these places the residents would probably sup- 
port a minister, if he were on the spot. ' We are indeed very 
bad,' they say; 4 but if we had some encouragement we should 
be better.' 

"Lord W. Bentinck desired I would report my opinion on 
the best mode of ameliorating the state of the newly converted, 
in my progress through the Deccan. And indeed their state 
demands the attention of government ; for I find that the Com- 
pany's servants in some districts consider the christian as the 
lowest cast. 

"The success of the Protestant mission during the last cen- 
tury has been very great. -Something more perhaps will be 
done during the present. The Jesuits have hewed wood and 
drawn water for us. I am as yet on good terms with them, 
and their information is generally more important than that of 
the Protestant missionaries. Schisms and dissensions at pre- 
sent disturb both Protestants and Catholics. 

" A rumour has for some months pervaded India, that all 
casts are to be made christians. I know the alleged causes of the 
rumour, but I consider them as inadequate to produce the pre^ 
sent effect, without a concurring Providence. This strange 
rumour of conversion is perhaps auspicious to the event 
itself; as the shaking of an old building announces its ap- 
proaching fall. 

" It was attempted to be shown, that the massacre at Vel- 
lore, which happened when I was in the neighbourhood, was 
in some measure caused by this rumour. But it has been 
proved by the evidence of the conspirators, that the design of 
resuming the Mohammedan dynasty in Mysore was planned 
by the princes immediately on their hearing the joyful news 
that the tiger Wellesley, as they styled him, had been recalled 
from India. 



232 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 1 have just been conversing with the Brahmins of this 
celebrated Pagoda, (which, according to Orme, once maintain- 
ed 40,000,) and they have been inquiring about Bonaparte. 
They have heard that on his arrival they are all to be made 
christians. 

44 I remain, dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

44 P. S. I have just measured the length of the granite 
stones of the Pagoda gate, which Orme says are five feet 
square, and thirty-three in length. But they are exactly forty- 
one in length." 

The next letter of Dr. Buchanan is addressed to Mr. Grant, 
and is chiefly occupied with the state of the missions sup- 
ported by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 
The testimony at the close to the character of the native chris- 
tians, when compared with that of the unconverted Hindoo, is 
particularly gratifying. 

" Madura, 14th Sept. 1806. 

" Dear Sir, — I was lately favoured with a letter from Mr. 
Thornton, in which he mentions that you were yet well, and 
actively engaged in useful labours. 

" Having been for upwards of four months past travelling 
in the interior of the country, I have heard but little of public 
affairs, and I do not desire at present to think of them. In 
consequence of my uncertain route, I am cut off from all cor- 
respondence, except that of the stations through which I have 
passed. This correspondence, however, is very interesting, 
as it usually refers to the suppression of idolatry, and the pro- 
motion of the knowledge of the only true God. 

44 As I suppose you are still connected with the Society for 
Promoting Christian Knowledge, I shall notice some particu- 
lars of their missions in these parts. I have now visited all 
the stations, and conversed with all the missionaries. At Tan- 
jore I sat in conclave with three of them on the subject of the 
general mission, when they proposed that I should make a re- 
port to the society of their present state. But this will not 
be necessary till I know what the society has the power to do. 

" I did not observe that the gospel flourished anywhere but 
in Tanjore. In Tranquebar a holy remnant is left ; perhaps 
also at Madras ; but I heard not of many recent conversions. 
But from Tanjore streams will flow, like its own fertilizing 
rivers, throughout the neighbouring lands. 

44 Of all the missionaries, Mr. Kolhoff, at Tanjore, is the 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 233 

first and best ; a man of meek spirit, but of ardent faith, and a 
worthy successor of the illustrious Swartz. 

" Mr. Horstand Mr. Shveiffvogel appear to be zealous men, 
pure in their life and doctrine. 

44 Messrs. Pohle, John, and Rottler, are now old men, and 
incapable of labour in the proper duties of the mission. Dr. 
John and Dr. Rottler are conversant in natural history, which 
is often fascinating enough to become a study. Dr. Rottler is 
an amiable man, but seems to want energy. 

44 Mr. Pohle, at Tritchinopoly, the senior missionary, is a 
learned man, but now stricken in years. He devotes himself 
chiefly to the English church at Tritchinopoly, which of itself 
demands the whole labours of one minister. 

" Three men of learning and piety are wanted to fill up the 
places of Swartz, Jcenicke, and Gericke. But it seems that 
such are now to be found in Germany. 

44 There is a great cry for Bibles throughout the Tamul land. 
The poor funds of the mission here cannot supply them. I 
have visited several christian villages where there were but 
two Bible-houses. Mr. KolhofF wishes this to be immediately 
represented. As the Tamul version is now finally settled, 
(like the English,) the society might print the Bibles at home, 
and send out twenty thousand copies every year.* , 

44 1 have conversed with many Hindoos of the Brahmin and 
other casts, who appear to be true members of Christ's body. 
I have seen in the feeble-minded native of Hindostan, truth, 
generosity, a spirit without guile, ardent zeal for the faith, and 
a love for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. 
I am satisfied that our Saviour hath a church here, and that m 
process of time all casts will come into it. 

" I remain, dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

On the 20th of September, Dr. Buchanan again writes to 
Mr. Brown, from Ramnad pooram, as follows : 

" In the province of Madura the Romish churches are fre- 
quent. At Aour, or, properly, Aughoor, near Tritchinopoly, 
is a church where the priest reads the Syrian mass, instead of 
Latin, which he does not understand. Nor do his people un- 
derstand the Syrian ; for to them he preaches in Tamul, He 

* Nothing effectual appears to have been done towards supplying this press- 
ing: demand for Bibles till the year 1810, when Mr. Brown preached a sermon 
at Calcutta upon the subject, and a subscription of one thousand pounds was 
in consequence raised towards the purchase of copies of the Tamul scriptures, 
and the encouragement of a new edition. See Christian Researches, p. 80. 

u2 



234 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



gave me a Syrian letter to his brethren at Cranganore. At 
this church there is an union of Romish ceremonies and pagan 
superstitions. They have their Rutt Jattra. I examined the 
Rutt, which is built in the usual manner, with three cables to 
pull it. Only that, instead of the Hindoo devices, it has hell 
and the devils on the lower part, heaven and the blessed in the 
higher, and, above all, the pope and the cardinals. The priest, 
my friend Joachim, is so ignorant, that he did not seem con- 
scious of any impropriety in having the Rutt. I asked him 
how many thousands of christians attended the festival : he 
said, generally about ten thousand; which number corresponds 
with the report of the collector of the district. 

" The English here know little of these matters. Mr. C, a 
Judge of circuit, told me he would proceed immediately to 
Aughoor, to see this sight. 1 told him he might see it in many 
other places. 

" I passed three days among the ruins and antiquities of 
Madura. This is a fine station for the gospel. 

" 1 proceed from this place to the Juggernaut of the south, 
Ramisseram. There Mussulmans and Hindoos have conse- 
crated the names of Adam and Abel." 

An interval nearly of a month occurred between the date of 
the preceding letter, and that of Dr. Buchanan's next commu- 
nication to the same friend and correspondent ; during which 
he had visited the island of Ramisseram, and from thence had 
crossed to Ceylon. Of his visit to the latter island, both at 
this time and again about eighteen months afterwards, Dr. Bu- 
chanan gave some account to the public in his Christian Re- 
searches ; but of Ramisseram, as well as Ceylon, it may not 
be uninteresting to add the following particulars : 

" Borders of Travancore, 18th October, 1806. 
" The Ranny of Ramnad gave me a letter to the Panda- 
rum or chief priest of the Pagoda of Ramisseram, desiring 
that he would give me a catalogue of the Shanscrit books 
preserved in the temple from time immemorial. The Ranny 
is the patroness (by hereditary right) of the temple. When I 
delivered the letter, the Pandarum informed the priests of its 
contents. They observed, that no catalogue had ever been 
given before. The Pandarum said he would give me an answer 
next day. In the meantime I paid him a visit of ceremony, 
and presented a nuzzur. The next day he sent to acquaint 
me that the catalogue was preparing, and would be ready for 
delivery in the evening; when I was requested to proceed to 
the Pandarum's house. At five o'clock he came himself to 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 235 

accompany me, attended by his elephants and music, and the 
whole band of priests. In this procession I moved round the 
temple to the Pandarum's house, where all the books were ex- 
hibited in order. They are all written on ollas ; and had 
generally the aspect of antiquity. 

" The Pandarum then presented the catalogue written on 
four ollas. It contains ninety-six Shanscrit volumes, and 
seventy-two TamuL 

" It was Mr. E. who suggested to me the attempt to pro- 
cure this catalogue. 

" Ramisseram, or rather Ramacoil, or Ramacovel, that is, 
Rama's temple, is a noble building. The aisles, or porticoes, of 
majestic height, are about six hundred feet long. No abbey 
or cathedral in Europe is of such magnitude. Like the other 
temples in the Deccan, its revenues are wasting away. But 
Juggernaut will fall, I think, before Ramacoil. I saw no hu- 
man bone in the island of Ramisseram. Christianity in its 
worst shape has civilized the Deccan. All descriptions of 
people are more humane and intelligent than the Hindoos of 
Bengal. 

" The Pandarum presented to me a fine shawl, (the Ranny 
gave me two,) and then procured a donie to carry me to JafF- 
napatam. The wind was fair, and I was only one day on the 
deep. I had letters to Mr. T., the civil magistrate of Jaffna. 
I slept the first night on the island of Leyden, at the house of 
Mr. T., the custom master. Next morning he showed me three 
Roman Catholic churches lately built, and assured me that 
every person on the island was a christian. I passed through 
a bazar, and spoke to some christian women selling turtle, 
which they cut in pieces to make curry. They were not so 
intelligent as Mr. KolhofFs christians. 

" I next day visited the chief Romish church in Jaffna town ; 
built by Padre Leonardo, who now presides in the island. 
This church is the largest structure of slight building which I 
ever saw T . Every Sunday about a thousand or twelve hundred 
people attend, and on feast days three thousand and upwards. 
Leonardo introduced me to four of his brethren, who all con- 
versed very fluently in Latin. There are five priests in Jaffna, 
and ten in Ceylon. They are all of the same order, St. Philip 
Nerius ; and no priest of any other order is ever admitted to 
the island. 

ki I passed half a day with Dr. S., mentioned by Thunberg. 
Dr. S. was at Japan, and brought from thence a valuable col- 
lection of Japanese books in print. They are chiefly on sub- 
jects of natural history, having drawings of animals. He has 



236 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

a very extensive museum of oriental curiosities. I went pa- 
tiently through his library, and found some information I 
wanted. 

44 Among the Dutch ladies are some examples of serious 
religion. Mrs. M. is a pious woman. She could not speak 
English ; but she produced a quarto Dutch Bible, well worn, 
and we conversed with each other in texts. 

" The chief justice spoke respectfully of Mr. Palm, and so 
did the other gentlemen at Jaffna. They wished me to go to 
Columbo, and report to the Governor : he has himself already 
visited Jaffna, and Dr. S.'s collection. 

44 From Jaffnapatam I proceeded by land to Manaar, through 
the woods ; a journey of three days. The elephants, bears, 
and buffaloes abound. Every night two men preceded my 
palanquin, carrying each a flaming log of gum-wood, to frighten 
the wild beasts. In the open spaces in the woods, I saw the 
Ryots guarding their cattle with gum-wood torches. The 
cheetah is very destructive here. 

44 Governor North built three caravanseras in these desolate 
woods. 

44 At Manaar I found Captain B., commandant of the Fort. 
He was a shipmate in the Busbridge. At his house I met Mr. 
M.j son to the old lady at Jaffna. He happened to mention 
that he had Busching's Magazine in German, containing Moen's 
(the Dutch Governor at Cochin) account of the Jews at that 
place. This book is referred to by Forster, who writes notes 
to Bartolomeo, as the last and most authentic account. 

44 Mr. M. has promised to translate the whole into English, 
and send it to me in a fortnight. 

44 At Manaar 1 embarked in a donie, an open boat, about the 
size of a burr, for Ramisseram. A storm arose, and I went on 
shore at a fishing village, situated near the north-west extre- 
mity of the island Manaar. They were all Romish christians, 
and I slept in their church. The priest was absent; and his 
catechist had never heard that there was such a book as the 
Bible. The dandies of my own boat were also christians, but 
had never heard of the Bible. They had, however, a very 
good christian custom. Before they hoisted the sail, they all 
joined in prayer to God for protection. Every man at his post 
with the rope in his hands pronounced his prayer. 

44 Next morning I embarked again ; and when we were 
nearly out of sight of land, the wind began to rise again. We 
could not gain any land before it was dark. At four o'clock in 
the morning we were alarmed by the noise of breakers ; and in 
a few minutes we struck on Adam's bridge. I had expressed 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN". 



237 



a wish to see Adam's bridge ; and now I saw it in a perilous 
situation. The boatmen leaped out, and kept the boat's head 
to the sea till she floated, and then forced her through the 
waves like a Masoolah boat. 

" At day-light I saw the towers of Ramisseram near at hand, 
when we landed at Pomben, next the continent. The boat- 
men offered up their christian thanksgiving for their deliverance 
from the peril of the sea. One of Mr. Swartz's catechists, 
who accompanies me everywhere, appeared to be a good deal 
edified by the scene. 

" My friends at Ramnad sent bearers to me on my arrival 
at Pomben, and I was conducted once more to Colonel M.'s 
hospitable mansion. 

" Tell H. that in the island of Ramisseram I saw Abel's 
tomb, which is about fifty feet long. It is guarded by a Mus- 
sulman, as I expected would be the case. In Ceylon the fable 
of Adam's flight from the island is very current. The truth 
seems to be this. The Hindoos called Ceylon a paradise, on 
account of its spices and pearls and precious stones. And the 
Mussulmans, believing it to be the Garden of Eden, introduced 
Adam and his family immediately. 

"At Ramnad-pooran there is a good Protestant church and 
parsonage-house of stone, built by Colonel M. and the company 
about eight years ago. But they have no minister, and long 
much for a visit from some missionary. 

" From Ramnad I proceeded to Tutycorin, where there is a 
rich Romish church, and a Dutch Protestant church. 

" At this place there is a tribe of Hindoos called Parrawars, 
(not Pariahs,) whose chief is called Prince of the Parrawars. 
The whole of this tribe, without exception, are christians in 
the Romish communion. The wealth and dignity of the prince 
support the church, and exhibit more magnificence than is now 
generally to be found in the Romish churches. 

" The Rutt is attached to this church, as at Aughoor. The 
priest told me he walked before it in procession. In the Hin- 
doo temples it is usual to ring bells and strike gongs the mo- 
ment the idol is unveiled. In analogy to this, bells are rung 
and drums beat at Tutycorin when the Virgin Mary is unveiled. 
There are three bells within the church of large size, which 
have a terrible effect on the auditory nerves. I requested the 
priest to undraw the curtain before the Virgin, that I might see 
the golden image : but I was not apprized of the thunder that 
was to accompany the exhibition. 

" I visited the prince in form, and inquired into the moral 
state of his subjects. He was denominated by the Dutch the 



238 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



Prince of the Seven Havens. The Dutch minister showed 
me his library, in which I was happy to find Fabricius's Lux 
Evangelii, in quarto. I went from Tutycorin toTinavelly, in 
my palanquin, without taking my eyes off this book. 

" Here is the pearl fishery. 1 saw the shells in heaps at the 
place where they are opened, and Mr. M., the Dutch merchant 
at whose house I lodged, made me a present of a large pearl, 
about the size of a pistol bullet, but of little value from its being 
clouded in various places. 

44 At Tinavelly I was hospitably received by the Judge, the 
Collector, and the Register. In Palamcotta Fort, which is close 
to Tinavelly, there is a Protestant church and parsonage-house. 
The christians in the district are numerous, and have suffered 
some persecution. Mr. KolhofT wished me to represent the 
subject to the Judge and Collector, who have assured me that 
they will afford them every protection and encouragement in 
their power. 

44 Tell H. that I write this at the bottom of the lofty moun- 
tain, called Cape Coinorin, whose rocky head seems to over- 
hang its base. The birds which build the pendulous nests are 
here numerous. At night each of their little habitations is 
lighted up, as if to see company. The sagacious little bird 
fastens a bit of clay to the top of the nest, and then picks up a 
fire-fly, and sticks it on the clay to illuminate the dwelling, 
which consists of two rooms. Sometimes there are three or 
four fire-flies, and their blaze of light in the little cell dazzles 
the eyes of the bats, which often kill the young of these birds. 

44 1 did not pass through Cape Comorin gate in entering 
Travancore, but through a gate some miles northward, called 
Arampalli gate. The mountain, called by sailors the Cape, is 
again to the north of this. Arampalli is thought to be the 
Arguropolis of the Greeks. Here there is a fortified pass, and 
lines of two miles in length, composed of stone walls and 
towers. The guard received me with frowning looks. I had 
unfortunately not yet received my passport from Colonel Ma- 
caulay. I did not know, therefore, how I should be received 
at the gate. But when I was approaching it, I sent some of 
the armed peons who accompanied me, to inform the com- 
mandant that I expected he would be ready to receive me at the 
gate, and to afford me an escort to the Rajah's presence. And 
thus I passed without opposition. 

44 Next day I arrived at Cottate, the Cottonia (hence the 
word cotton) of the ancients. It is still a flourishing place. 
The day after I came to Padmanburam, a fort and residence of 
the king, where his principal arsenal is established. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 239 

44 From Padmanburam to Trivandram is a road, shaded by 
lofty trees, called the King's road, whereon Brahmins and 
Nayrs alone are suffered to walk. The lower casts do, how- 
ever, walk on it ; but if they meet a Brahmin, they imme- 
diately leave it, and seek a path in the woods. A person 
sometimes precedes the Brahmin to announce to passengers 
that he is near at hand." 

The date of Dr. Buchanan's next letter is on the 27th of 
October, from the palace of the Rajah of Travancore, at Tri- 
vandram : 

44 I have received your letter of the 27th September, in which 
you answer mine of the first from Tanjore. 

" I have not seen Geddes, but I am accustomed to read 
quotations from him. I shall endeavour to preserve some Sy- 
rian and Jewish relics for you. 

" On my arrival here I found that Colonel Macaulay was a 
hundred miles off, at Cochin. But I received a letter from him, 
tendering his services in whatever way I wished to command 
them. 

44 1 immediately informed his excellency, the minister, (a 
noble Nayr of able and liberal mind,) that 1 wished to pay my 
respects to his highness, the Rajah, for so are these illustrious 
persons designated by the Company. 

44 The Rajah sent his Vakeel to inform me that he would 
receive me in form next day. In the meantime he gave orders 
for my accommodation and table. The Rajah's servants ac- 
cordingly came the next day to escort me to the gate of the 
fort in which he resides. The military were drawn out, and 
I was received on the steps of the palace by the minister and 
secretary, who conducted me to the Rajah's apartment. He 
was more gorgeously dressed than the Rajah of Tanjore. He 
was twenty-five years old on the day I entered Trivandram; 
and of five subjects of compliment which I had premeditated, 
this was one. He is an affable and sensible man. He con- 
versed on political subjects for about two hours, and was ex- 
tremely desirous to have my opinion of the chief persons, 
European and native, in Hindoston. His grand subject, how- 
ever, was to learn the particular purpose of my various and 
extensive tour. Nobody had been able to satisfy him on this 
head. I was very candid with him, and declared my objects 
plainly. He appeared to be a little thoughtful, and I did not 
know what impression I had made on his mind. His whole 
court of Brahmins and Nayrs understood every word that was 
said. When I was about to take my leave, he expressed a hope 



240 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

that I meant to stay some days with him. I told him I 
should. 

•* On that same day I sent to him the Rajah of Tanjore's 
list of books, and also the Kamisseram catalogue. He read 
over both with great pleasure. I then requested that he would 
order his Brahmins to make out a similar list of their ancient 
books. He assented immediately, but the Brahmins resisted. 
The minister told me this. I asked whether the Brahmins go- 
verned the Rajah. At my next audience the Rajah told me 
the list was preparing. 

11 Understanding that I had the Rajah of Tanjore's picture, he 
requested to see it. He was so much pleased with the beauty of 
the painting, that he desired to keep it for a day or two to show 
it to his ladies. It was three days before I could get the Rajah 
of Tanjore out of the Zenana. I mean to tell the Rajah of 
Tanjore this. 

n Mr. Swartz's catechist, who accompanies me, is called Pas- 
cal. He was heir to a person of property, who died some years 
ago at Trivandram. He proceeded from Tanjore, accordingly, to 
claim his inheritance about four years ago; but, being a poor man, 
and ill supported, he was told by this court that his claim was not 
just. Mr. Kolhoff requested I would take Pascal with me, 
and represent his case to the Rajah. I did so ; but, having no 
hope of getting any thing for him, I gave him an allowance as 
my interpreter. On my second audience, I represented his 
case to the Rajah. The matter was investigated in public 
next day, and on the day following (to the great astonishment of 
poor Pascal, and all my servants) the Rajah put him in pos- 
session of a house and land in this place, and granted him the 
option of inhabiting it, or selling it immediately. He also de- 
livered to Pascal bonds amounting to about six thousand ru- 
pees, and a great number of jewels. Pascal says he must 
build a church for all this." 

Dr. Buchanan then mentions a second successful application 
to the Rajah in behalf of a small body of native christians at 
Moiladdy, a district of Travancore, who had hitherto been re- 
fused permission to build a church. 

"I asked the Rajah," says Dr. Buchanan, " whether he had 
ever read of any people who were not allowed to worship 
their God? The minister was willing. At last the Rajah 
told me he would himself soon visit the district of Moiladdy, 
and would then point out a proper place for the church. The 
Brahmins, I hear, first opposed the measure, alleging that the 
English would soon have the country, if they were allowed to 
introduce their religion into it. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 241 

" At my last audience the Rajah was very gracious. He 
presented to me some shawls ; and when I was taking leave, 
he put an emerald ring on my finger. He at the same time 
gave orders that two of his officers (Nayrs) should attend me 
throughout his dominions, wherever I was pleased to go. This 
last favour was of a very peculiar nature, and altogether unex- 
pected." 

Dr. Buchanan thus continues his correspondence : 

" 1st November, 1806. 
" From Trivandram I went to Poontara on the sea-coast ; 
and here I first saw a Syrian church in the Romish commu- 
nion. I mean in Travancore ; for I before mentioned to you 
that I had visited one near Tritchinopoly. From Poontara to 
Angengo I travelled by the sea-coast, and had the pleasure to 
see a church every four or five miles. From Cape Comorin 
to Cochin there are about a hundred churches on the sea-shore 
alone. Of these the chief part are the Syrian Latin, or, more 
properly, the Syrian Romish churches. The priest reads the 
Syriac Liturgy, not one word of which the people understand, 
and then he walks off; or he reads the Latin Liturgy, with 
which the poor christians are equally edified. Some of them 
(the private christians) have, however, the prayers translated 
into Malayalim, or, proper Malabar. The churches are snow 
white, and are generally built in a grove of shady trees. Be- 
fore each, on the sand of the shore, is a lofty cross, which, 
like the church itself, is conspicuous at a great distance. 

41 There was an insurrection of the Nayrs in Travancore 
last year, against the Rajah ; three battalions of his Nayr body- 
guards revolted, and sought to kill the British Resident, and the 
Rajah, and the present minister. Colonel M. fled to Cochin. 
The Rajah called in the christian fishermen from the coast to 
defend him against the Nayrs. They assembled at Trivandram 
in immense numbers, each man armed with a short bludgeon. 
The bowmen from the hills appeared at the same time in the 
Rajah's behalf, and the Nayrs laid down their arms and fled. 
About fifty of the ringleaders were seized and hanged. The 
battalions were broken, and the Rajah accepted of a subsidiary 
force from the English. This was a dreadful blow to the 
Brahmins, whose influence in Travancore is identified with 
that of the Nayrs. 

" At Angengo I found apartments prepared for me by the 
British Resident, Mr. H., who is appointed by the Bombay 
government. Angengo has been in possession of the English 
since 1628. 



242 MKM01RS OF PR. RrciIANAX. 

11 At Quilon. Dr. M.. nephew to the Colonel, entertained 
me. The subsidiary force is al present encamped here. At 
this place I saw Dr. II., the Ilindostanee scholar. He told 
7ne. that though he had been many months here, he had not 
yet met with any one who could give an account of the schis- 
matic Syrians, as their churches were all in the interior, where 
Europeans cannot go without permission from the Rajah." 

The next letter, in which Dr. Buchanan announces his ap- 
proaching departure to the interior o( Travancore. will be read 
with, lively interest by those who have followed him in his 
progress hitherto, and who are aware of the important result 
of his researches. 

'•CAiicorLOx. 4th Xov. 1806. 

" I am now about to proceed northward and eastward from 
this place, to visit the Syrian churches. There is one very 
near at Mavelicar. The others are remote, situated (according 
to Dr. L.'s account) in impenetrable forests, where jungle 
fevers and tigers abound. 

44 The weather is dry and clear, and I have received a very 
different account of the regions I wish to visit. I shall, how- 
ever, proceed no farther than may be prudent. I have told my 
servants, that they may remain behind, if they please. But 
they choose to accompany me. The Rajah's men encourage 
them. The Lord, who hath graciously led me from Cambus- 
lang to Calcutta, and from Calcutta to Cape Comorin, will 
lead me in safety, I trust, through the mountains of Travan- 
core. In many instances, already, mountains have been made 
a plain before me : and I am ready to believe that some good 
will result from a journey, hitherto so remarkably favoured by 
Providence. 

"I, however, think it right to 4 put my house in order' at 
this place, and leave the event to Him who disposem of the 
lives of his servants according to his eternal purpose and right- 
eous will. 

44 At a village near Calycoulon lives Captain TV., an old 
officer of a former Rajah. He is now blind, but his wife reads 
the Bible to him. Hearing of my approach, he had prepared 
some questions to ask me, which had long been on his mind, 
relating to the doctrine of salvation. After supper, he quoted 
several passages from the Epistles to the Romans, Ephesians, 
and first of St. Peter; and asked, how can these things be ? 

•• After an hour's discourse, the old man said, 4 It is even so, 
as I hoped.' And he began to weep aloud.'' 

It was surely worth a journey from Calcutta to Travancore 




Iron an Original Jjrauayj b} v J > r Buchanan . 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 243 

to resolve the doubts and to shed light upon the path of this 
aged christian ! 

On the 5th of December Dr. Buchanan communicated to 
his excellent correspondent in Bengal a long and detailed ac- 
count of his visit to the Syrian churches in Malayala. As it 
has been already observed in respect to Juggernaut and Cey- 
lon, the narrative in this letter is substantially similar to that 
which has been long since published,* and excited such gene- 
ral attention and interest. It will not, however, be deemed 
unnecessary to give a sketch of Dr. Buchanan's introduction 
to the Syrian christians, and to add a few extracts, containing 
some circumstances which have not yet met the public eye. 

"Cochix, 5th Dec. 1806. 

M My last letter from Travancore informed you that I was 
about to leave the sea-coast, and to proceed into the interior of 
the country to visit the ancient Syrian churches. I have been 
enabled to accomplish my purpose. I have visited the remote 
churches situated amongst the hills at the bottom of the great 
Ghauts. The scenery of the country was everywhere de- 
lightful ; the weather was cool and pleasant ; and I have re- 
turned from an expedition, which was represented to be dan- 
gerous, in perfect health. 

" Early in November I left the sea-coast, having first sup- 
plied myself with plenty of gold and silver. I directed my 
course towards Mavelicar, the first Syrian church. 

" The kasheeshas (priests) received me on my arrival with 
much civility, perceiving that I was accompanied by the Ra- 
jah's servants. Their curiosity to know the object of my 
visit was very great ; still greater when I took up their Syrian 
books and began to read ; and when I showed them my print- 
ed Syriac books, which they could read. They produced the 
scriptures, and their liturgy ; also lexicons and grammars, Sy- 
rian and Malay alim. The Malay alim, or proper Malabar, is a 
dialect distinct from the Tamul ; but the character is nearly 
the same. It is considered by the learned Brahmins of this 
coast, as the eldest and legitimate daughter of the Shanscrit. 

" In the evening the church was lighted up for prayers, at 
which a good many of the people attended. Nothing objec- 
tionable appeared at this service. The priests pronounced the 
prayers without book, and chaunted their hymns, having their 
faces turned towards the altar. They have no images, but on 
the walls were paintings from subjects of scripture history. 

"• See the Christian Observer, vol. vi. and Christian Researches, p. 112—150 



244 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 Next day being Sunday, I had an opportunity of seeing 
the whole service, morning and evening, as I sat in the chan- 
cel, with one of their books in my hand. The people were 
very decently habited, and filled the church. 

44 On Monday morning the four chief elders of the church 
came with the priests to visit me. I told them I knew their 
history, and came as their friend, and the friend of their reli- 
gion ; that I knew they had been an oppressed people during 
a long period. To all this they listened evidently with deep 
thought and perplexity. They then put a few questions to 
me. I told them I was about to visit their remotest congrega- 
tions, intending to penetrate to Ranniel itself. 

44 Their countenances began now to assume great distrust, 
and, after a few civil sentences, they begged leave to withdraw.. 
I certainly appeared in a most questionable shape among these 
simple people, who had so little commerce with the world. In 
the evening I invited them to another conference. I told them 
I should set off the next morning for the mountains ; that I 
was much obliged to them for their hospitable entertainment, 
and begged they would accept something in return. I gave 
each of the priests some gold, and some to the elders of the 
church, for the poor; and desired their benediction, that I 
might go in peace. They then retired with apparent reluc- 
tance, looking at the money with dubious countenances. 

44 1 afterwards learnt that they immediately called an assem- 
bly. An old man arose and said, 4 What if this stranger 
should prove to be a true christian, and a real friend? What 
proof have we that he is our enemy ? It is true no European 
ever visited us before ; but what say you to this man's know- 
ledge of our church at Antioch, to his Syrian books, his 
money ? Besides, it is said that the Rajah put an emerald ring 
on his finger. If he do not intend our good, he may have 
power to hurt us.' 

44 They then conferred with Mr. Swartz's catechist, and my 
other servants of all casts, concerning my family, country, pro- 
fession, my present journey, where I had been, and what I 
had been doing, and what I intended to do. 

44 After this ordeal, I was permitted to appear before their 
tribunal once more. The old priest said he was afraid they~ 
had judged me too hastily; but that there were some circum- 
stances which he would now communicate as an apology for 
their suspicions." 

Dr. Buchanan then relates the account which the venerable 
priest gave him of the various attempts of the Roman Catho- 
lics to force the Syrian churches to join their communion, as 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 245 

the ground of their suspicions respecting his present visit, and 
the manner in which he at length succeeded in removing their 
fears and gaining their confidence. 

He next proposed to send a standard translation of the scrip- 
tures, in Malayalim, to each of their fifty-five churches, on 
condition that each church should multiply the copies, and 
circulate them among the people. To this they thankfully 
assented. 

" One of the elders, named Thomas, or, Didymus, stepped 
forward and said, 4 To convince you, sir, of our earnest desire 
to have the Bible in the Malayalim tongue, I need only men- 
tion that I have lately translated the gospel of St. Matthew, 
for the benefit of my own children. It is often borrowed by 
the other families. It is not in fine language, but the people 
love to read it.' 

" ■ But how,' said the old priest, ' shall we know that your 
standard copy is a true translation of our Bible ? We cannot 
depart from our own Bible. It is the true book of God, with- 
out corruption ; that book which was first used by the chris- 
tians at Antioch. What translations you have got in the west, 
we know not : but the true Bible of Antioch we have had in 
the mountains of Malabar for fourteen hundred years, or longer. 
Some of our copies are from ancient times; so old and decay- 
ed, that they can scarcely be preserved much longer.' I re- 
joiced when I heard this. 

" * But how,' repeated the aged priest, ' shall we know that 
your western Bible is the same as ours V s I have here,' said 
I, ' a western Syrian Bible, which yourselves can read ; and I 
have an English Bible, which will be interpreted to you. Let 
some portion of scripture, selected at a venture, be accurately 
examined. You can compare the whole, at your leisure, here- 
after.' They turned over the leaves of my Bible with sur- 
prise, having never seen a printed Syriac Bible before. After 
some consultation, they proposed that the 3d chapter of 
St. Matthew's gospel should be critically compared, word for 
word, in the eastern Syrian, western Syrian, and English. 
St. Matthew was selected, I believe, at the suggestion of 
Thomas, who had got his Malayalim translation in his hand. 

" It w r as an interesting scene to me to behold the ancient 
English Bible brought before the tribunal of these simple 
christians in the hills of Malabar. They sat down to the in- 
vestigation with great solemnity, and the people around seem- 
ed to think that something important depended on the issue. 

" I held a Greek Testament in my hand, and proposed 
that the sense of the Greek copy should be first explain* 

x2 



144 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

I the New Testament was first given to the world id 
Greek." 

Here a discussion arose respecting the comparative merits of 
the Greek and Svriac scriptures, which Dr. Buchanan has 
given at length in his Researches.* After which he adds, 
M Not thinking it prudent to proceed further in this argu- 
ment. I proposed that Jona (the aged priest' should first read 
his own Svriac, as the standard, with which the other versions 
should be compared. \Ye accordingly began, and soon finish- 
ed the collation of the chapter. Jona was satisfied that the 
English Bible was a faithful translation. As for the western 
Syrian, it agreed with the eastern nearly word for word. 
Thomas' Malayalim translation alone was faulty. 

•• We next considered the establishment of schools ; the 
proposal of which seemed very acceptable to them. 

" My business was now done. The priests observed, that 
it would be necessary that their Bishop and Metropolitan, Mar 
Dionysius, now residing at Candenad. near Cochin, should be 
made fully acquainted with all that had passed: as without his 
concurrence nothing: could be done with energy in so exten- 
sive a diocese. I told them I had already ascertained that the 
good Bishop would willingly give his sanction to measures so 
beneficial to his people, and that he would signify it to them 
officially in due time. 

" The people now informed me they had determined that 
one of the priests, and one of the elders, should accompany 
me to the other churches ; and that letters should be sent be- 
fore to announce our coming. 

" Next day we took our departure from Mavelycar, and 
arrived in the evening at the church of Chinganoor. The 
priests and people came out. women and children in their holi- 
day clothes, to meet us at a little distance from the town. The 
church is a spacious building, far superior to any that I had 
yet seen. Near the altar are two shrines of bishops who died 
here. I requested Jesua the priest to select four of the chief 
elders, as representatives of the people, to hear what had passed 
at Mavelycar. They received the proposal for diffusing the 
scriptures and establishing the schools with the utmost cor- 
diality. 

81 I was here told, that no European, or even Romish priest. 
had ever penetrated farther into the country than this place. 
Bartolomeo was not here ; for there is not a single Roman 
church in this district of Malabar. 

* Christian Researches, pp. 114—115. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 247 

" Calicherry was our next church. It is built on the top of 
a hill. The chief priest is Matthew, aged eighty years. He 
gave me the history of ancient times ; and also a very accurate 
account of the present state of the Syrian church. The peo- 
ple here manifested the same favourable disposition which had 
appeared at the former places. 

Still journeying towards the East, we arrived at the church 
of Puttencow ; from whence we had a view of the delectable 
mountains, the utmost bound of the Syrian churches. The 
church of Puttencow was built by the present bishop about 
fourteen years ago. At this place I met a greater number of 
aged persons than I had yet seen. They suggested many use- 
ful improvements in the plans to be adopted, and pointed out 
where they were most liable to fail. Andrew, the priest, ap- 
peared to be very zealous for scripture translation. 

" We came the next day to Maraman, a small church, over 
which presides the aged Zechariah. I found him reading his 
Masmora (Psalms) in the porch of the church. This part of 
the country is interspersed with hills, round which the rivers 
from the Ghauts wind their course. The christians go from 
place to place in little canoes. Sometimes a woman may be 
seen with the oar in her hand ; sometimes a little boy ; some of 
the canoes being so small as to admit of two persons only. 

" The church of Colancherry was next in our course. It 
is built in the bosom of the forest, but not far from a river. 
The people were poor, but very hospitable. An old lady 
wished me to make a promise that I would come back again 
in a year or two, or at least that I would write to them. She 
would take care that the Cassanars did their duty. 

" Next day we arrived at Ranniel, the remotest church in 
these regions, and the limit of my proposed tour. This church 
is built on a steep hill, or rather rock, in which a few steps are 
cut to ascend. The people assembled from all quarters, and 
seemed delighted with the novelty of my appearance, and 
that of my attendants. The two priests were Lucas and Mat- 
thew ; and the four elders, Abraham, Thoma, Georgius, and 
Philip. 

" I found Abraham to be rich ; and to be w r ithal deeply in- 
terested in the success of our measures for the extension of 
religion. He had travelled a little. He said there was a great 
difference between the religion of the heart and the doctrines 
of the head ; and it was to be lamented that many priests were 
ignorant of this. 4 You were right,' said he, * in taking a 
pledge of the four chief elders, rather than of the young Cas- 



248 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sanars. For want of colleges* and places of religious instruc- 
tion, the young priests arc Bent to teach us before they are 
taught themselves. ' They are obliged indeed to lead moral 
lives, for otherwise they would not be endured. But no man 
should go forth to the ministry until he has studied the whole 
Bible, and can quote it fluently in his christian discourse. For 
three hundred years we have been quarrelling with the Romish 
Church about supremacy, rites, and ceremonies, but the Bible 
has been out of the question. The Bible, sir, is what we 
want, in the language of our own mountains. With the Bible 
in his hand, every man can become the priest of his own 
family.' 

44 While Abraham was thus discoursing, T thought of that 
other Abraham, who was called ' the friend of God' in a strange 
land. He gave me much useful information, and conveyed it 
too with some authority; for he seemed to consider me as a 
young man who professed a good purpose, but who was not 
likely to bring it to a happy issue, without being well directed 
and well supported. ' After you are gone,' said he, 4 evil men 
will endeavour to frustrate your counsel.' Nothing will com- 
plete your success but the authority of the English government 
interposed in our behalf. Before any thing can be done in 
India on a great scale, kings, and men in power, must range 
themselves on God's side. When the christian religion is left 
to itself, as a thing indifferent, the solid dominion of the devil 
will soon overwhelm it; unless indeed it should please God to 
send forth in these days his divine power in a miraculous way, 
as in the first ages. But this we are not to expect, and there- 
fore we ought to pray, as in our Syrian Liturgy, 4 that kings 
and ministers would work with God.' 

44 I proposed to Abraham that he should correspond on these 
subjects with the most learned and pious persons of his church ; 
and requested he would inform me from time to time what was 
proper to be done. At parting I put a ring on Abraham's 
finger, before the people. He said he should ever wear it, and 
it should be a memorial of what had passed. At the request 
of the priests I recorded my visit in the church books, in the 
Syrian language ; being willing that there should be the ap- 
pearance of as much solemnity as possible in my visit to this 
remote people ; in order that the objects of it might not soon 
be forgotten. 



* It may be gratifying to the reader to know, that Major Munro, the present 
British Resident in Travancore, has succeeded in procuring the establishment 
of a college for the better instruction of the Syrian priests. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 249 

" At all these churches I passed some time in examining 
their Syrian books. At most places there are ancient copies 
of the scriptures, or of some parts of them ; for the whole 
scriptures are with them seldom bound up in one volume. 
They are most generally in four : the Oreta, or former part of 
the Old Testament ; the Evangelion, the Praxeis, and the 
Egurta. The Prophets are rarest. 

" In the vicinity of Ranniel, there is a high hill, from the top 
of which the people told me I might have an extensive view of 
the country. The hill was steep, and of laborious ascent, and 
1 left my servants below. When I had gained the summit, I 
felt myself much fatigued, and sat down to contemplate the 
delightful prospect. The mountains of the Ghauts were at 
some distance, but from their great height they appeared to be 
close at hand. 

"In a few minutes I saw a man coming up from a village 
below, with a cocoanut in his hand. I drank the cooling 
water, and was much refreshed. He said he was a christian ; 
that seeing me ascend, he thought the cocoa- water would be 
acceptable. I said I was a christian too. He smiled doubt- 
ingly, looking at my English dress. He said he was never 
farther from home than the adjacent mountains, where he 
sometimes went to fell wood. He did not seem to understand 
that there were christians in any other part of the world than 
the mountains of Malayala. He pointed out to me by name 
the christian parishes which I had visited, but most of the 
churches were concealed by the trees. The christians are for- 
bidden to have steeples, as they would appear too pre-eminent 
among the pagodas of the heathens. 

" While I surveyed the christian districts all around, I re- 
flected on the inscrutable counsels of God, in finding this 
asylum for the Bible during so many ages ; and yet in confin- 
ing it for so long a period to this region of the heathen world. 
I indulged the hope that the same Providence was about to un- 
fold itself by dispensing the Bible throughout the East, by 
means of this people. 

" I passed two hours on the top of this hill. I do not know 
its name. But I called it Pisgah ; for I believed that I had a 
sight of kingdoms promised to the Messiah in the second 
psalm. ' I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. ' 

" On my return from Ranniel, I visited most of the churches 
a second time, and then proceeded to Nerenam, which was 
formerly the residence of the Syrian Bishops. The episcopal 
chair, covered with red velvet, and decorated with copper 



'250 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

studs, is evidently the workmanship of a former age. In a 
corner lay the pastoral staff. The church itself is supposed 
to be nine hundred years old. The chief Kasheesha here was 
Thoma, aged G2 years. He has live colleagues and one 
shumshana (student.) The christians here are said to be 
wealthy ; but they must conceal their wealth. Their chief 
elder is named Jacob Terragon : the latter word is an addition 
conferred by the Rajah on persons of condition. Jacob in- 
timated to me, that he was ready to support the cause with 
money. 

" Next day we arrived at Mavelycar, where I received a 
better welcome than on my first visit to that place. 

" In all these churches which I visited, I found the same 
zeal and affection for the religion of their forefathers. In every 
church the elders stepped forth with patriarchal simplicity and 
zeal, as the natural guardians of the people. The women in 
general were affable and courteous in their manners, and ap- 
peared to be as much interested in the objects of my visit as 
the men. The children showed nothing of the Hindoo shy- 
ness and alarm at a stranger. They used to mount my palan- 
quin, and sometimes get into it. The manners indeed of the 
Nayrs of both sexes have much of the same independent frank- 
ness. As to the Brahmins, their families live in entire seclu- 
sion, as in a Romish convent ; unlike any thing that is known 
elsewhere in Hindostan. 

" From Mavelycar I went to Aleppe on the sea-coast ; and 
thence I returned into the interior of the country as far as 
Changanacherry, to visit the Romish churches in that quarter. 
At Pulingunne is a Syrian academy for the Cassanars of the 
Romish Church. It is under excellent management ; and, if 
its objects were well directed, it would become a useful in- 
stitution. The Romans were surprised at my condescension, 
as they termed it, in visiting them, having understood that I 
had visited the Syrian congregations, and favoured their re- 
ligion. For it seems the rumour of my progress to the moun- 
tains had already gone far abroad. ' It is true,' said I, ' I am 
a schismatic. Colonel Macaulay and the Governor General, 
and all the English, are schismatics from the Romish Church.' 
The priests were very polite, and would not allow T that the 
English were either heretics or schismatics. ' Indeed we are,' 
said I, ' as much schismatics as the Syrians in the mountains. 
It will be expedient for you, therefore, to change the name for 
the future, if you have any respect for the English.' This 
speech, as I afterwards heard, was carried before me to the 



■u |M 




Frxtt, Buffameui . 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 251 

Romish Bishop at Verapoli, near Cochin ; for whose use, in- 
deed, I chiefly intended it." 

Dr, Buchanan next directed his course to Candenad, the 
residence of Mar Dionysius, the Metropolitan of the Syrian 
Church. 

4i On my arrival," he says, " I found that a great number of 
his clergy had assembled from different parts of the diocese in 
expectation of my coming. The old bishop is infirm, being 
now seventy-eight years of age, and received me in an upper 
chamber. He saluted me with ' a holy kiss,' after the apos- 
tolic manner. He said he had learnt all that had passed in my 
progress through his churches. His fears from the power of 
the Romish Church had now subsided; and he was satisfied 
that the English were the friends of his church. ' His joy 
was like that of the Jews, when Cyrus sent forth his mandate 
to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.' 

11 Next morning I delivered to him a paper containing some 
subjects for the consideration of himself and his clergy." 

This related to their disposition to an union with the English 
Church, to such extent as should seem practicable to both ; to 
the translation of the scriptures into the Malayalim language, 
and to the establishment of christian schools in all the parishes 
of his diocese. Upon these subjects some very interesting 
discussions took place, the substance of which will be found 
in the Christian Researches, pp. 128 — 134. 

" At the close of the conference the bishop added, ' I am in 
a declining state of health, and cannot expect to live to see 
these pleasing prospects realized, which now open to our view. 
But I am the father of fifty-five churches in a heathen land ; 
and I must soon give up my account to the bishop of souls. I 
have been thus explicit in declaring to you my sentiments be- 
fore my clergy, that they may act wisely, and remember them 
when I am gone.' He then introduced me to two of the priests, 
whom he authorized to communicate with me, as occasion 
might require, on the subjects of the present conference. 

" The next morning I visited the church of Udiamper, 
which is only half a mile from Candenad. This is the church 
in which the celebrated synod was held in 1599, by Menezes, 
Archbishop of Goa. It is a spacious edifice." 

From Udiamper Dr. Buchanan proceeded to Cochin. 

" On my arrival," he continues, " I slept the first night at 
the house of Mr. V., the old Dutch governor. Next morning 
I went over to an island about two miles from Cochin, on which 
Colonel Macaulay has a house. He received me with great 
kindness, and has paid me much attention during my stay in 



252 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Malabar. Colonel M. is a man of letters ; and had, pre- 
viously to my coming, collected various information and many 
manuscripts, Syrian and Syrochaldaic, for my inspection. He 
had also procured a copy of certain chapters of the Jewish 
scriptures, which he understood I wished to see. 

" In a few days after my arrival, he accompanied me to the 
Rajah of Cochin's palace, and thence to Udiamper and Cande- 
nad. The old bishop was much gratified with this second 
visit, and considered it as a proof of our affection for his church. 
Colonel M. intimated to him that he perfectly accorded with 
me in the measures that had been proposed, and invited the 
bishop to dine with us at Cochin. This invitation his bad 
health would not allow him to accept ; but he sent over two 
of his principal clergy to consult with me further on the affairs 
of the church." 

From this place Dr. Buchanan visited Cranganore, the spot 
on which the Apostle Thomas is said to have first landed in 
India; Paroor, the church of which place*bears the name of 
St. Thomas, and is said to be the most ancient in Malabar ; 
and Yerapoli, the residence of a Romish bishop, and the pope's 
apostolic vicar. 

11 Before my arrival, the bishop had lent some books to 
Colonel M., one of which was * La Croze's Christianisme des 
Tndes,' a book marked in the bishop's library as ' liber here- 
ticus ; prohibitus.' This book he wished to get back, lest it 
should fall into my hands. Colonel M. refused to give it, 
knowing it was his intention to burn it. I visited the bishop 
at Yerapoli, and explained to him that I had not come to notice 
his church, but to take care of a flock who seemed to have no 
church of its own. It seems that he and all the priests at 
Yerapoli had taken it for granted that my purpose was to sub- 
jugate them to the Church of England. l How,' said I, ' could 
I possibly think of effecting such a change V I shall not soon 
forget the answer. ' If the English government should desire 
it, and threaten to withdraw its protection if we did not com- 
ply, what alternative would be left V I answered that I was 
glad to find they were so compliant, but I had no proposition 
to make to them on that subject. Only I should be much 
obliged to them to give the scriptures to the people. If they 
were afraid of the inquisition at Goa, I could promise that not 
one of them should be burnt. 

M The bishop has opened his library to me, and shown me 
many important records of his church. He is indeed very 
cordial in his assistance, if I may judge from his endeavours to 
afford me information. 




/ ^>/ 



Jrvm an Onamal Drvmng hi D^Jhtekan 



0/ /?,/,///,/ . 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 253 

" You will perhaps think that my mission to Malabar has 
terminated very satisfactorily without noticing manuscripts. 
These are certainly of but secondary consideration with me, 
though the learned will probably consider them to be of pri- 
mary importance." 

Dr. Buchanan then relates his success in obtaining both 
Syrian and Hebrew manuscripts, and describes the brass 
tablets, fac-similes of which he procured at Cochin, and on 
which are engraved the privileges granted several centuries 
since to the christians and Jews by the native princes of Mala- 
bar. But of all these circumstances a particular account is 
already before the public* 

In the course of his tour, Dr. Buchanan made drawings of 
several of the Syrian churches on the spot ; of which, though 
extremely simple, and, with one exception, exhibiting only the 
principal front of each building, it has been thought desirable 
to obtain engravings, as an accompaniment to this part of his 
memoirs. They represent the old church of Paroor, those of 
Candenad and Udiamper, and that of Alangatta. The three 
former have been already particularly mentioned. Of the lat- 
ter it will appear, that Dr. Buchanan merely states his inten- 
tion of visiting it. It is said to be the largest of the Syrian 
temples, and a very handsome and noble building.! The church 
of Paroor, as Dr. Buchanan remarked generally of the most 
ancient Syrian structures, is not unlike some of the old parish 
churches in England. The other three are more ornamented, 
and evidently in the style of architecture prevalent in Asia 
Minor and Syria. The sketches of these venerable buildings 
can scarcely be contemplated without exciting some tribute of 
applause to the christian zeal and energy which prompted Dr. 
Buchanan to explore the recesses amidst which they had been 
for ages concealed, and to shed around them that scriptural 
light which poverty and neglect had well nigh extinguished. 

The following miscellaneous extracts from his letter to Mr. 
Brown, dated Cochin, may next be added : 

" Colonel Macaulay has been fortunate enough to incline 
the Travancore court to the belief that all the christian churches 
are, and necessarily must be, cognizable, in respect of interior 
management, and the appointment of bishops, by the christian 
king, who is now sovereign of India. The bishop of Cochin, 
lately appointed from Goa, arrived while I was here. But he 
could not enter on the duties of his office until he was re- 



* Christian Researches, pp. 128. 143. 232. 234. 
t Asiatic Researches, vol. vii. 

Y 



254 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

cognized by the British Resident, who gave him his authority 
to be presented to the government of Travancore. The bishop 
of Cochin presides over most of the churches on the sea-coast, 
towards the south. 

44 As to the christians in the territories of the king of Cochin, 
the Dutch constantly assumed the entire management of the 
churches, and even the collection of the revenues due to the 
Rajah from the christians. This was done to preserve the 
people from oppression. It would be desirable that a similar 
right were exercised by the English government in relation to 
the christians in the territories of the king of Travancore. 

44 I was present the other night at the marriage of the 

daughter of Nathaniel, the richest Jew of the place. It was a 
very splendid solemnity. The women were covered with gold 
and silver Dacca and Surat muslins, that being the costume on 
such occasions from time immemorial. 

44 The weather on the coast is still dry and pleasant. I have 
had no cold as yet this year ; an indisposition which I never 
escaped in Calcutta in the months of October and November. 
I expect to leave Malabar in about a fortnight, and shall pro- 
bably be with you in Bengal about the end of February. 
Swartz's catechist is still with me. I forget whether I men- 
tioned to you that one of Mr. Swartz's brass lamps is destined 
for you. It is called the Halle University lamp. It gives a 
bright and steady light, and a square moveable canopy shade 
preserves the eyes. It is worn thin by the midnight lucubra- 
tions of the old man ; for he was a hard student to the last 
year of his life. 

44 1 am now about to visit the interior of this country a third 
time, and shall first proceed to Angamalee, formerly an arch- 
bishopric of the Syrian christians. I have written to you thus 
particularly of my tour through Malabar, in order that, if I 
should be long delayed in my return, you may know what has 
been done. I have succeeded certainly in the general objects 
of my inquiry beyond my most sanguine expectations. 

44 Mr. H., at Angengo, has heard of an ancient history of 
Malabar in the Malayalim language, which his linguist has pro- 
mised to procure. The Rajah's dewan tells me that it is re- 
ferred to in public acts. Mr. H. says, there are in the epis- 
copal library at Verapoli some volumes on Shanscrit literature 
from the Propaganda, which, if possible, I shall procure for 
Mr. Colebrooke's inspection. I wish Mr. C. himself were 
here. The Brahmins still aver that Malabar is the cradle of 
Shanscrit science ; and Colonel Macaulay has adopted that 
opinion fully. It possibly existed here at as early a period as 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 255 

in the north, but not with the same advantages of improve- 
ment." 

The date of Dr. Buchanan's next letter is December 14th, 
from Angamalee in Malabar. Though the name of this place 
occurs in the extracts published by himself from his Journal,* 
the following account of it will be found to be fuller and more 
interesting : 

" Angamalee was formerly the seat of the archbishop of the 
Syrian churches in the mountains of Malabar. In the town of 
Angamalee there are three churches within a quarter of a mile 
from each other, in all of which service is still performed. % The 
cathedral church is the largest, and contains the tombs of bishops 
and archbishops for many centuries. As I approached the 
town of Angamalee in the evening, I heard the ' sullen roar' of 
the great bell reverberating through the mountains. When the 
Romish archbishop Menezes visited this place in 1599, the 
christians strewed the way up the hill with flowers as he ad- 
vanced. And yet he came to burn the ancient libraries and 
archives of Angamalee. As the flame ascended, the old priests 
wept ; but they were obliged to hide their tears, dreading the 
inquisition at Goa. The archbishop presented himself next 
day to the multitude, arrayed in his pontificals, resplendent 
with gold and precious stones. To this day they have a lively 
tradition of the splendour of his robes blazing in the sun, and 
forming a striking contrast with the plain white garments of 
their own primitive church. When Tippoo waged war with 
the king of Travancore, in 1791, he sent detachments in every 
direction to destroy the christian churches, and particularly the 
ancient edifices at Angamalee. Two thousand men penetrated 
into the mountains, and were directed to the place by the sound 
of its bells. They sprung a mine under the altar walls of each 
church, and the inhabitants who had fled to the higher moun- 
tains witnessed the explosion. But the walls of the grand 
front being five feet and a half thick, (1 measured them yester- 
day,) they did not attempt to demolish them for want of pow- 
der. In the mean time Tippoo, hearing that Lord Cornwallis 
had invaded Mysore, suddenly recalled his church-destroying 
detachments. Next year Tippoo was obliged to sign any 
terms that were offered him ; but Lord Cornwallis forgot to de- 
sire him to rebuild the christian churches. The inhabitants, 
however, have rendered them fit for public worship ; and have 
proceeded some way in restoring the cathedral to its former 
state. The archbishop's residence and all the other public 

* Christian Researches, p. 138. 



256 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

buildings are destroyed. The priests led me over the ruins, 
and showed me the vestiges of their ancient grandeur, asking 
me if I thought their Zion would ever be rebuilt. Angamalee 
is built on a hill. ] told them that their second temple would 
perhaps have more glory than their first. 

11 Two of the churches here are Roman, the third Syrian. 
But the two former would gladly return to their mother 
church. 

" Colonel Macaulay accompanied me half way in my pre- 
sent excursion. I find the Syrian churches to the north much 
more splendid than those to the south. The books also are 
more numerous. I am now going to visit Alangatta and Eda- 
palli, where formerly there was a Syrian monastery." 

The preceding account of Dr. Buchanan's first visit to the 
coast of Malabar can scarcely be better closed than by the fol- 
lowing letter to Mr. Henry Thornton, which comprises a brief 
but animated sketch of the whole ; and which, notwithstanding 
the repetition of a few particulars which will be familiar to 
some readers, will not, it is presumed, prove uninteresting 
to any : 

" Cochin, 24th December, 1806. 

" Dear Sir, — In August or September last I addressed a let- 
ter to you from the Pagoda of Seringham, near Tritchinopoli. 
Since that period I have visited Ceylon, and many places in 
Southern Coromandel and in the province of Malabar. I 
passed a week at the palace of the Rajah of Travancore, who 
aids me very liberally in all my pursuits. The Brahmins and 
present minister had taught the young man (he is only twenty- 
five) to oppress the christians. But he promises milder treat- 
ment in future. This favourable change is produced by the 
exertions of Colonel Macaulay, the Resident, who I am happy 
to say is much alive to the interests of religion. 

11 From the sea-coast I proceeded into the interior of the 
country, to visit the ancient Syrian christians who inhabit the 
hills at the bottom of the great mountains of Malayala. The 
weather was cool and pleasant. The country is picturesque 
and highly cultivated, diversified with hill and dale, and wind- 
ing streams. These streams fall from the mountains, and pre- 
serve the vallies in perpetual verdure. The christians received 
me courteously, seeing I travelled in some state, escorted by 
the Rajah's servants. But when they found my object was to 
look into their books and religion, they surveyed me with 
doubtful countenance, not well understanding how an English- 
man could have any interest in the christian religion. And the 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 257 

contrary was only proved to them by long and serious discus- 
sion, and by the evidence of facts which for the first time came 
to their knowledge. But when their doubts had been dispelled, 
they sent deputies with me, who introduced me to all the other 
churches. No European, or even Romish priest, had ever, as 
they told me, visited that remote region. There are no Romish 
churches in its vicinity, and the Rajah gives no permission to 
Europeans to travel into the interior of his country. 

44 The Syrian is still their sacred language, and some of the 
laymen understand it; but the Malayalim is the vulgar tongue.. 
I proposed to send a Malayalim translation of the Bible to each 
of the churches ; and they assured me that every man who 
could write would be glad to make a copy for his own family. 
They also agreed to establish schools in each parish for chris- 
tian instruction, which are to be under the direction of the four 
chief elders of each parish, and in which the Bible in the vul- 
gar tongue is to be a principal class-book. 

" Their doctrines are not in essentials at variance with those 
of the Church of England. They desire an union, or at least 
such a connexion as may be practicable or desirable for the 
better advancement of the interests of Christianity in India. 

44 As to manuscripts, I have succeeded far beyond my most 
sanguine expectations. 

44 It had been supposed that the Roman Catholics had de- 
stroyed in 1599 all the Syrian books. But it appears that they 
did not destroy one copy of the Bible ; and I have now in my 
possession some MSS. of the scriptures of a high antiquity. 
The collation of these with our western copies is very interest- 
ing. There are some other MSS., which were not condemned 
by the Synod of Menezes. I have also found some old He-* 
brew MSS., biblical and historical. 

44 It is sufficiently established by the concurrence of oral 
tradition with written records, that the Jews were on this coast 
before the christian era. 

44 1 propose to send home some Syrian youth to England 
for education and ordination, if practicable. And I take with 
me to Bengal a Malayalim, a Syrian, and a Jewish servant. 
They will, however, be but nominal servants. I should have 
engaged them as moonshees ; but I see there is no college now 
in Bengal. 

44 The Roman Catholics here were at first very jealous of 
my attention to the Syrians. The Romish bishop, however, 
who is a bon vivant, perceiving that my chief object was to 
diffuse the scriptures among the people, began to think that it 
might be politic in him to circulate them among his people too, 

y2 



258 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

and to please the English rather than the inquisition. Colonel 
Macau lay thinks the bishop will adopt the measure the mo- 
ment we seriously propose it. He lives in some state, and 
fires a salute of eleven guns on occasion. 

" Cochin is rich in Hebrew literature, and I am purchasing 
what is to be sold. 

" The Rajah of Cochin has followed the example of the 
Rajahs of Travancore, of Tanjore, and the Ranny of Ramnad, 
and Ramisseram, in giving me catalogues of the Shanscrit 
books in the temples. I hope the Coorga Rajah will do the 
same. 

" This opening of the Pagodas is a new scene in India. Mr. 
Swartz was the remote instrument. He opened the Rajah of 
Tanj ore's heart ; and the Rajah of Tanjore opened the Pago- 
das, those chambers of imagery, the emblem of the heart. 

11 The Rajah of Tanjore wishes me to visit him again. If 
practicable, I shall open a correspondence with him. 

" I propose to leave this coast in a fortnight, and proceed to 
Bombay, from whence I shall probably go across to Benares, 
and thence down to Calcutta by the Ganges. 

" Having arrived at the extreme boundary of my tour, and 
accomplished its object, I thought it would be acceptable to 
you to have some short notices of it. Be pleased to tell Mr. 
Newton that I am well. I wrote him a long letter from Tan- 
jore. It is with pleasure I see that, amidst the agitations of 
the world, he is tranquil, and at peace, and nearly arrived at 
the haven where he would be. Mar Dionysius, the bishop 
of the Syrians in the mountains, has somewhat of Mr. New- 
ton's manner and appearance ; only that the bishop has a vene- 
rable long beard, which reaches below his girdle, and through 
which you may see a large gold cross beaming at intervals. 
He is now seventy-eight years of age, amiable in his temper, 
and devout according to his knowledge. 

" 1 read at this place, in Hay ley's third volume, Cowper's 
correspondence with Mr. Newton, and was pleased to see the 
name of the good man honoured. 

" I remain, dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

In his next letter to Mr. Brown, Dr. Buchanan announced 
his intention of shortly returning to Bengal, together with a 
farther plan which he was projecting respecting a visit to the 
christian churches in Chaldea and Syria. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 259 

"Cocmx, 23d Jan. 1807. 

" I am happy to hear that the first gospel in Chinese and 
Shanscrit is ready. 

" I should have left Cochin before now, but some splendid 
events have taken place. The Syrian church, rinding I was their 
friend indeed, opened new sources of antiquity. I visited them 
once more ; and the bishop presented to me # an ancient copy 
of the Old and New Testament, in Syriac, on thick vellum, 
reputed to be as old as the Alexandrine. On the other hand, 
the Jews were softened by gold, and a singular discovery was- 
made." 

This referred to some valuable Hebrew manuscripts, of 
which Dr. Buchanan gave a full account in his Christian Re- 
searches, and which will be again noticed hereafter. The let- 
ter thus proceeds : 

" I despatched, on the 3d instant, three chests of books and 
MSS. to my own address, and to your care. Be pleased to 
open them and air the contents. I shall carry round with me 
three chests more. My hands are so fully occupied here, that 
I cannot proceed farther up the coast at this time ; besides, I 
see you are desirous that I should return. I therefore purpose 
to take my passage in a large Danish vessel, now here, and 
ready to sail. I have promised to visit the Syrians and the 
Jews once more before I leave the country, if practicable. 
The information I have received from the Syrian christians, 
strongly inclines me to visit their fellow churches in Chaldea 
and Syria. The ancient patriarchate of Antioch is just expir- 
ing, unless supported by the English church. As it will be 
more convenient for a sea-sick traveller to go by land, I had 
always proposed to myself that route. And this new induce- 
ment will probably lead me to adopt it about the conclusion of 
the present year, or whenever the monsoon will carry a ship 
rapidly into the Persian Gulf. These things I have thought 
of, not thinking that I can do much more in India ; but I leave 
them to the issue which God, in his all- wise counsel, shall be 
pleased to give. I have certainly no pleasure in the thought 
of returning to England, or of staying in India. The world 
(as the world) is equally distasteful to me everywhere. If I 
knew where it was the will of God I should pass my days, I 
should there lie down contented, and endeavour to do some 
good in a quiet and humble way. 

" In one of the chests you will find some shawls. Let J. 
and H. choose one each ; and each of the boys may choose a 
Hebrew book." 

Dr. Buchanan's last letter to his friend, previously to his 



260 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



embarking for Calcutta, contained the important information of 
his having actually made arrangements for the translation of 
the scriptures into the native language of Malabar. His suc- 
cess, therefore, as to the great objects of his journey, had been 
complete. 

" Cochin, 29th Jan. 1807. 

II I recived your letter of the 31st ultimo, and am glad to 
hear that you have ended the year so well and so happily. 

II I embark to-morrow in the Danish ship Danesberg, for 
Calcutta, and shall touch at Columbo. I hope to be with you 
early in March. I send a chest of books and MSS. to Eng- 
land by the Bombay ships, which touch here. 

" I am now about to encounter sea-sickness for a while. If 
I call at Mr. TVs, in Columbo, it will be some relief, for I 
have much to do there. It is understood, by all ranks here, 
that I shall call on them six months hence on my way to the 
Persian Gulf. I have expended a large sum here. Mr. F. 
told me he had orders from his government (Madras) to supply 
me with any money I might want. But I did not avail my- 
self of this kindness. 

" My servant, who came from Calcutta, is still with me. 
He was formerly a ship-cook, and will be useful now by sea, 
as he has long been by land. Mr. Swartz's catechist, and 
other attendants, wait here to see me on board, as do various 
Syrian, Romish, and Jewish priests. I am glad to get out of 
the throng. 

" I hope I have come to this place for good, and not for evil. 
The goodness is God's, and the evil is my own. It is wonder- 
ful that I should have travelled so far in safety ; and that, after 
the strange events that have occurred, I now leave the coast in 
peace. If I should never see you, my testimony is gone 
forth to the world, and others must carry on what is now 
begun. 

" The Tamul copy of the scriptures (comple(e) is only ar- 
rived to-day from Carnatic ; I proceed with it to-morrow to the 
Syrian bishop, who is now engaged with three learned Syrian 
and Malayalim scholars in the translation into the language of 
Malabar. The bishop longed to see the Tamul, he being a good 
Malayalim scholar himself. 

' ' I leave the three translators at monthly wages, and Col. 
Macaulay superintends when I am gone. 

" The Romish bishop has consented to the circulation of 
the scriptures throughout his diocese, so that there will be up- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 261 

wards of 200,000 persons who are ready to receive the Malaya- 
lim Bible." 

Dr. Buchanan did not leave Cochin quite so soon as he had 
anticipated in the preceding letter ; but on the 6th of February 
he embarked on board the Danesberg, after having despatched 
the following letter to his valuable friend and coadjutor, Col. 
Macaulay : 

" My dear Sir, — I have directed Messrs. Harrington and 
Co., at Madras, to honour all drafts of yours for any sums 
you shall have the goodness to lay out on my account. I leave 
to you to settle the sum for the Verapoli Cassanar. 

M Mr. Swartz's catechist stays a month at Candenad, to- 
show them the best plan of proceeding in the translation. If 
any obstacle to their progress should occur from the Tambu- 
ran, or Mar Thoma's fear, I shall be obliged to you to transfer 
the translation establishment to Tanjore, whither the chief man 
has no objection to go. If a Verapoli Cassanar, of Syrian 
and Malayalim learning, could be prevailed on to go to Tan- 
jore also, the establishment would be complete. 

" I cannot leave you without expressing my sense of the pe- 
culiar obligations I am under for your uniform assistance in 
every subject which has engaged my attention on this coast. 
Without your direct countenance, I certainly could have done 
little or nothing. Something beneficial to the country will, I 
trust, result from what has been done, though the circumstance 
of your leaving it presents but a doubtful aspect. 

" Believe me to be, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 



CHAPTER VI. 

Dr. Ruchanan arrived safely at Calcutta, after a voyage of 
five weeks, on the 15th of March. On his return he found 
that the college of Fort William, which had nourished nearly 
seven years, during which period it had been productive of the 
most important benefits both to the service of the East India 
Company, and to oriental learning and religion, had been re- 
duced within very narrow limits on the first of January. The 
offices of Provost and Vice-Provost were abolished, and the 
Professorships restricted to three ; viz : — the Hindostanee, 
Bengalee, and Perso-Arabic ; it being intended that the stu- 



262 ttllOUtt of ML BUCHAHAlft 

dents should only he attached to it, on an average, for a single 
year. 

The public letter of the Court of Directors which conveyed 
this order was dated in May. and reached Calcutta in Decem- 
ber, 1806. On its arrival, Mr. Brown, deeply impressed with 
the importance of the moral discipline which had hitherto been 
exercised in the college of Fort William, and which was now 
superseded, felt it to be his duty to submit his sentiments upon 
the subject to the Governor General, and acccompanied his 
representations with the offer of continuincr to superintend the 
institution, and, if that were deemed necessary, to officiate 
without salary. 

In making this communication to Sir George Barlow, Mr. 
Brown referred to his highly esteemed colleague, Dr. Buchanan, 
as follows : 

M I particularly regret that there should be a necessity for 
any material change during the absence of the Vice-Provost, 
without his concurrence or knowledge, from consideration of 
his having, throughout, so eminently devoted his superior 
talents, with the utmost zeal, and by every exertion, for the 
benefit of the public service, in the success of the college. In 
his absence I take it upon me to communicate faithfully my 
thoughts, and to submit them, with respect and deference, to 
the consideration of the honourable the Governor General. "~ 

Sir George Barlow, on receiving the representation and offer 
ot Mr. Brown just referred to, expressed himself deeply struck 
and gratified by his philanthrophy and disinterestedness, and 
assured him that "he should consider of his proposal." No 
farther notice of it, however, appears to have been taken: but 
the new modification of the college immediately took place, 
and the offices of Provost and Vice-Provost were accordingly 
abolished. 

The labours, the influence, and the income of Dr. Buchanan 
were, in consequence of this arrangement, materially dimi- 
nished. The reduction of the former was not only grateful to 
his taste and inclination, but necessary to his health : while 
that of the latter affected him only as it tended to abridge his 
means and opportunities of usefulness. The subject occurs 
but once in his various correspondence with his friends, and is 
then stated merely as a matter of information, in which he did 
not seem to be particularly interested. 

His grand object was the promotion of Christianity in India. 
This he had kept steadily in view during the period of hi 3 

* Memorial Sketches of the Rev. D. Brown, p. 313. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 263 

Vice-Provostship ; for this, as we have already seen,* he made 
some provision when anticipating its abolition ; and it was in 
pursuance of the same important object that he undertook the 
extensive journey through which we have lately accompanied 
him. 

During his voyage, or immediately after his return to Cal- 
cutta, Dr. Buchanan had drawn up a paper, under the title of 
" Literary Intelligence," containing a sketch of his proceed- 
ings on the coast of Malabar, which he was desirous of pub- 
lishing, both at Madras and Calcutta, for the information of 
those who were interested in the promotion of christian know- 
ledge in India. To the great surprise, however, of Dr. Bu- 
chanan, and of many of the most learned and respectable per-" 
sons at both Presidencies, it was not thought expedient to per- 
mit such a publication to be inserted in the government gazette. 
It was, in consequence, printed and circulated in a different 
form ; and, without producing any of the ill effects which 
some had anticipated, it conveyed intelligence which was as 
gratifying to the friends of learning and religion in India as the 
same information afterwards proved to persons of a similar cha- 
racter in England.! It is to this circumstance that Dr. Bu- 
chanan refers in his subsequent correspondence with Colonel 
Macaulay, which will afford a connected view of his proceed- 
ings after his return to Calcutta. The following is an extract 
from one of his first letters to that gentleman : 

" Calcutta, 4th April, 1807. 

" The alarm of this government, quoad w*yyeKtov 9 is subsid- 
ing. Your government also seems well again. At least so 
writes the Rev. Mr. Thompson, to whom Lord William de- 
clared, ' that the promotion of christianty is on his heart, and 
that he wishes for more missionaries.' 

" This society anxiously anticipates the confirmation of the 
report, that Lord Wellesley has been appointed a secretary of 
state. I believe it would be as agreeable to them, as to hear 
that Bonaparte had lost a leg, which is also reported. 

" Major Wilks' letter has been read here with much interest. 
I think you are doing more in the Deccan, than we in Hin- 
dostan. 

" I send you a letter from the bishop of Llandaff, which has 

* See page 206 
t The " Literary Intelligence" appears, however, to have been admitted into 
the Bombay Gazette, by which means it reached Europe. It was afterwards 
published in England by the late Bishop Porteus. See Dr. Buchanan's Apo- 
logy for Promoting Christianity in India, p. 87; and Owen's History of the Bri- 
tish and Foreign Bible Society, vol. i. p. 320. 



264 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

made some noise here. Had the Literary Intelligence not been 
suppressed, the bishop's letter would not have been pub- 
lished." 

The letter thus referred to was afterwards inserted by Dr. 
Buchanan at the close of his Christian Researches. The ex- 
tracts from it, which follow, while they are honourable to the 
christian zeal of the late learned and eloquent prelate whose 
name it bears, will not here be deemed irrelevant. 

" Calgahth Pauk, Kendal, 14th May, 1806. 

" Some weeks ago I received your memoir of the expe- 
diency of an ecclesiastical establishment for British India, for 
which obliging attention I now return you my best thanks. I 
hesitated for some time whether I ought to interrupt your specu- 
lations with my acknowledgments for so valuable a present ; but, 
on being informed of the noble premium by which you pur- 
pose to exercise the talents of graduates in the University of 
Cambridge, I determined to express to you my admiration 
of your disinterestedness and zeal in the cause of Christianity. 

" Twenty years and more have now elapsed since, in a ser- 
mon before the House of Lords, I hinted to the then govern- 
ment the propriety of paying regard to the propagation of 
Christianity in India ; and I have since, as fit occasions offered, 
privately, but unsuccessfully, pressed the matter on the consi- 
deration of those in power. If my voice or opinion can, in 
future, be of any weight with the king's ministers, I shall be 
most ready to exert myself in forwarding any prudent mea- 
sure for promoting a liberal ecclesiastical establishment in Bri- 
tish India : it is not without consideration that I say a liberal 
establishment, because I heartily wish that every christian 
should be at liberty to worship God according to his conscience, 
and be assisted therein by a teacher, at the public expense, of 
his own persuasion. 

" The subjects you have proposed for the work which shall 
obtain your prize, are all of them judiciously chosen, and, if 
properly treated, (as my love for my Alma Mater persuades me 
they will be,) may probably turn the thoughts of the legisla- 
ture towards the measure you recommend. 

" God, in his providence, hath so ordered things, that America, 
which three hundred years ago was peopled by none but pa- 
gans, has now many millions of christians in it ; and will not, 
probably, three hundred years hence, have a single pagan in it, 
but be occupied by more christians, and more enlightened 
christians than now exist in Europe. 

"Africa is not now worse fitted for the reception of chris- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 265 

tianity than America was, when it was first visited by Euro- 
peans; and Asia is much better fitted for it, inasmuch as Asia 
enjoys a considerable degree of civilization, and some degree 
of it is necessary to the successful introduction of Christianity. 
The commerce and colonization of christian states have civil- 
ized America ; and they will, in process of time, civilize and 
christianize the whole earth. Whether it be a christian duty 
to attempt, by lenient methods, to propagate the christian reli- 
gion among pagans and Mahomedans, can be doubted, I think, 
by few ; but whether any attempt will be attended with much 
success till Christianity is purified from its corruptions, and the 
lives of christians are rendered correspondent to their christian 
profession, may be doubted by many : but there certainly 
never was a more promising opportunity of trying the experi- 
ment of subverting paganism in India, than that which has for 
some years been offered to the government. of Great Britain. 

u Your publication has given us in England a great insight 
into the state of Christianity in India, as well as into the gene- 
ral state of learning amongst you, and it has excited in me the 
warmest wishes for the prosperity of the college of Fort Wil- 
liam. It is an institution which would have done honour to 
the wisdom of Solon or Lycurgus. I have no knowledge, 
personally, of the Marquis Wellesley, but I shall think of him 
and of his coadjutors in this undertaking, with the highest re- 
spect and admiration, as long as I live. 

" I cannot enter into any particulars relative to an ecclesias- 
tical establishment in India ; nor would it, perhaps, be proper 
to press the government to take the matter into their considera- 
tion, till this country is freed from the danger which threatens 
it: but I have that opinion of his majesty's ministers, that 
they will, not only from policy, but from a serious sense of re- 
ligious duty, be disposed to treat the subject, whenever it comes 
before them, with great judgment and liberality. May God 
direct their counsels !" 

A few days after the date of his former letter, Dr. Buchanan 
wrote to Colonel Macaulay as follows : 

" Calcutta, 13th April, 1807. 
"My dear Sir, — I have been favoured with both your let- 
ters, with their enclosures, and return you many thanks for 
your kind attention. Your first contained the Hebrew MSS. 
I am perfectly satisfied with Levi's explanation of the cause 
of its detention. But I am not equally satisfied with his can- 
dour quoad the opprobrious omission of the word *?3 in the 
last verse of the 27th of Deuteronomy. It is true, as you 

z 



266 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

observe, that there is one Sd in that verse, ' all the people ;' 
but there ought to be another, viz : * all the words;' which the 
modern Jewish copies have not. But it is in the Samaritan 
copies, and also in the Syriac copy I brought from Travancore. 
I one day read the verse to Levi in a Jew's house in Mattin- 
ceri, and pointed out the omission. He ought, therefore, to 
have been candid enough to have recollected that. But poor 
Levi's ideas are always in a whirl. 

44 Your second letter, which I had the pleasure of receiving 
yesterday, contained Major AYilks' very interesting letter, and 
that of your writer, not less important. But what relates to 
yourself ought first to have my attention. I am much con- 
cerned to hear that your health is declining, and that you must 
leave India so soon. 

44 In November next, I propose to sail for Cochin and Bom- 
bay, and thence to the Persian Gulf. My purpose is made 
known to government, and also the objects of a route over- 
land. 

44 Since I shall be myself at Cochin in November or De- 
cember, it will not be necessary for you to make any ar- 
rangement at this time for sending home the Syrian youths. 
I shall then be better able to judge of the prudence and import- 
ance of the measure. 

44 I could have wished to have a Syrian moonshee with me 
here for a few months before I go ; but if it be not perfectly 
convenient to ship him off in time, you need not think farther 
of it. 

44 I am happy to hear that the Malay alim translation pro- 
ceeds with such spirit. Mr. KolhofT writes to me, that he is 
very ready to undertake the superintendence of that work, if 
untoward circumstances should impede its progress in Tra- 
vancore. 

44 The reason why I did not communicate to you the 4 Lite- 
rary Intelligence,' was that you might be exonerated from the 
consequences of the publication of that paper, should there be 
any unpleasant result in a political way. The Madras govern- 
ment deemed it to be so dangerous, that they refused to publish 
it. The government here [par nobile) refused also. This 
suppression of what almost all sensible men accounted to be 
merely 4 literary intelligence,' has given great offence to the 
men of letters in the settlement. The consequence has been, 
that it is printed in the form of a pamphlet, in large 4to, and in 
large type, with Bulmer's blaze, and there is added something 
yet more offensive, viz : the Oxford and Cambridge notifica- 
tions of the five hundred pound prizes, (which were also sup- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 267 

pressed here ;) and, what is more offensive than the last, a copy 
of the second Latin letter addressed to me by the University 
of Cambridge, on the subject of diffusing a knowledge of re- 
vealed religion amongst the nations of Asia. This pamphlet 
of twenty-eight pages will be exposed for sale next week. 

" and I are on terms of high civility; but he is no 

friend to my evangelical purposes, and he does not like my 
(and your) steady adherance to the principles of Lord W.'s 
administration. But I wish to be at peace with all men, and I 
ever desire to conciliate my enemies. I mean enemies made 
by my evangelizing plans, for I have no other; and perhaps 
these are few in number. 

" The christian tablets, Syrian Bible, and Hebrew roll, are- 
here objects of great curiosity. Mr. Carey beheld them with ve- 
neration. The public mind is strongly attracted towards Malaya- 
la, and the wall between Hinduism and Christianity seems to be 
tottering. You have applied the battering-ram to that wall 
with good effect in Travancore; and I sincerely wish that you 
could stay to give it a few more shocks. But you will be use- 
ful at home. I go home also ; but only perhaps for a season. 
At least in the pamphlet now printed it is mentioned that I 
am going home overland, ■ for the purpose of visiting the an- 
cient christian churches in Mesopotamia and Syria, and that I 
shall return to India in a short time.' Some were ready to 
wish me a good journey \ but they did not expect this last 
clause of returning. It has, however, given great satisfaction, 
I understand, to almost all the settlement. For you must know 

that 's persecution (as it has been called) of a good work, 

has procured it much success and many friends. is 

faithful. dubious of w r hat is right. Sir H. Russel, Sir 

J. Royds, and Sir W. Burroughs, are all friendly. So is Mr. 
Harrington. The Malayala battering-ram is said to have given 
C. a violent and unexpected shock, which is likly to crumble 
his wall of hostility into the ruins of indifference. For so our 
Persians speak. 

" I have had a letter from the Bishop of London, dated 1st 
September last ; in which he says, that ' it was too late last 
session to bring forward the proposition of an ecclesiastical es- 
tablishment for British India; but that the Archbishop of Can- 
terbury intends to move his majesty's ministers on the subject 
next session.' 

" His lordship also says, that money will probably be sent 
out to support the great work of translating the scriptures into 
the oriental languages. Lord Barham writes to the same effect 
on both subjects. 



268 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 I have placed the young Malayalim moonshee, from Pa- 
roor, in the missionary school at Serampore, where he is very 
happy and in good health. I should be glad that your writer 
would communicate this to his mother. My Hebrew moon- 
shee is well also. 

44 Lord Minto's arrival is anxiously looked for by this set- 
tlement. I shall write to you again shortly, and remain, with 
much esteem, yours sincerely, 0. Buchanan." 

The plan of a journey overland to Europe, mentioned in 
the preceding and in some subsequent letters, was proposed 
and long cherished by Dr. Buchanan, not merely as obviating 
his well-founded objection to a sea-voyage, but as calculated to 
promote his benevolent researches into the state of the ancient 
and declining christian churches in the east. It will, however, 
be seen that, after many inquiries, he was at length reluc- 
tantly compelled, by political and military obstacles, to aban- 
don this interesting expedition. 

It may seem extraordinary, that of the addresses to Dr. Bu- 
chanan from the senate of the University of Cambridge* no 
more distinct or complete information should be contained in 
these memoirs than the reference to the second of them in the 
foregoing letter. They probably expressed the sense which 
that learned body entertained of Dr. Buchanan's meritorious 
exertions in promoting the interests of learning and religion in 
the east, and of his munificent encouragement of those import- 
ant objects by the series of prizes offered to the members of 
the University. No traces, however, of the letters in question 
have been discovered amongst his papers ; nor is it known that 
any copy of the pamphlet in which the second was printed in 
India has reached this country. It is therefore only to be re- 
gretted that no farther account can be given of documents 
which were, doubtless, highly valued by Dr. Buchanan, and 
equally honourable to him and to the distinguished body from 
which they proceeded.* 

Of the several objects of Dr. Buchanan's late tour, it was 
stated to be one, to discover fit instruments for the promotion 
of learning, and for the dissemination of the scriptures in India. 
It may now be observed, that it was in the course of his jour- 
ney that he first thought of a plan which might effectually ac- 
complish that object. The reader will probably recollect the 
meditation of Dr. Buchanan on the banks of the Chilka Lake, 

* The Vice-Chancellor of the University, upon an application being made 
to him for copies of these letters, declined granting them. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 269 

where, on the morning of the Sabbath, while reflecting on the 
painful scene which he had just witnessed, with the lofty tower 
of Juggernaut still in distant view, he conceived the design of 
some christian institution, which might gradually counteract, 
and at length extinguish, the idolatry of the eastern world. The 
historian of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in- 
forms us that he first conceived the thought of his elaborate 
and eloquent work amidst the ruins of the capitol. It was an 
association of a more sublime and sacred nature which sug- 
gested to Dr. Buchanan the design of the institution, the gene- 
ral plan of which he then briefly described. Soon after his 
return to Calcutta he employed himself in digesting and ar- 
ranging its form and constitution ; and on the 28th of May he 
thus adverts to the subject at the close of the following lettef 
to Colonel Macaulay : 

" My dear Sir, — I had the pleasure to receive your letter 
of the 1st inst. two days ago, accompanying the Dutch trans- 
lation. 

"I am happy to hear that you have two Hebrew books for 
me. If any thing interesting in Hebrew or Syriac, printed or 
in manuscript, should offer while you remain on the coast, I 
shall be obliged to you to secure it for me. 

" I presented the bishop's* demand on Baretto's house, and 
enclose the answer. My compliments to the bishop. I shall 
take care of his affairs, and send him cauliflowers when the 
season arrives. 

" Dr. Leyden proceeds by sea to Madras to-morrow. He is 
in better health. He has been looking at a variety of my 
MSS. for some weeks past, but with little success. He can 
make nothing of the christian plates, but means to renew his 
attack on the Malayalim part of them when he arrives at Ma- 
dras. He thinks the old Syriac Bible, on vellum, is as early 
as the fifth or sixth century. But that is certainly too high a 
period. 

" The Indus sails as a packet for England in a few days. I 
have said in a letter, that you are meditating your return this 
season. By the Indus I send home a small work for publica- 
tion ; not in relation to Malabar, but to Juggernaut ; nor to him 
directly, but to a literary institution, whose object shall be to 
promote christian knowledge in Asia by means of books ; 
which institution shall be exclusively literary, and shall have 
no connexion with any mission society. The institution al- 

*Of Verapoli. 

z2 



270 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ready exists, and is in extensive operation. I shall copy the 
heads of the sections on the opposite page. Nothing yet from 
England. 

M I remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

Instead of inserting the short sketch to which Dr. Buchanan 
refers, it will he more satisfactory to give a fuller abstract of a 
work, which, though printed, it was afterwards deemed not 
expedient to publish. The title was as follows : — M The 
Christian Institution in the East, or the College for translating 
the Holy Scriptures into the Oriental Tongues." 

The origin and objects of the institution were described 
nearly in the terms of the preceding letter. It was dedicated 
to all good men, to be an instrument in their hands of extend- 
ing the knowledge of revealed religion by the translation of 
the holy scriptures, and was placed under the immediate pa- 
tronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, as President of the 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 
and of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. One 
of its subordinate objects was to print small tracts on certain 
branches of art and science, fitted for popular use and improve- 
ment. 

The various instruments of the institution were next enu- 
merated, comprising the venerable bishop of the Syrian church 
in Malayala; the British and Danish missionaries throughout 
India; judah Misrahi, a learned Jew of Cochin, engaged by 
Dr. Buchanan as a translator of the New Testament into He- 
brew ; Professor Lassar for the Chinese language ; and the 
late Rev. Henry Martyn, with two learned coadjutors, natives 
of the east, for the Persian, Arabic, and Hindostanee lan- 
guages. With the exception of Mr. Martyn, who arrived at 
Calcutta during the absence of Dr. Buchanan, he stated that 
he had visited all the before-named persons at their respective 
residences, and had informed himself as to their abilities and 
principles. 

It was not intended to form an expensive establishment ; but 
that a professor should be stationed as a literary agent of the 
college in each of the principal provinces of the east, to study 
a particular language, to collect information, to correspond 
with the society at home, to compose and to print books, and 
to instruct the natives in printing. The literary agents were 
. in general to be paid for work done ; that is, for translations 
or for printing, previously agreed for, and faithfully executed. 
Care was also to be taken that, in cases where translations of 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 271 

the scriptures should be intrusted to the members of any par- 
ticular sect, their exclusive tenets should not find admission 
into the work. 

Dr. Buchanan proposed that the name of the institution 
should not be derived from any church or sect in Europe, but 
from the religion itself, the knowledge of which it was intend- 
ed to diffuse ; and that the instruments which it would recog- 
nize in promoting this great design, should be of all nations. 

He next observed that, in order to secure its resources from 
failure, and that there might always be a copious supply of fit 
persons for the work, it was expedient that the institution 
should possess an organized body in England, and that its* es- 
tablishment should be sufficiently respectable to attach to it 
men of rank and learning. The college of the Propaganda at ? 
Rome owed its efficiency and perpetuity chiefly to its liberal 
establishment. 

Dr. Buchanan grounded the necessity and importance of 
this christian institution upon a view of the present state of the 
Brahminical superstition at the chief temples of the Hindoos, 
and particularly at Juggernaut ; and, in order to convey to his 
readers in England some idea of the spirit and effects of the 
religion of Brahma, he added some extracts from the journal 
of his visit to that place. 

Provision was made for the transmission of copies of every 
work published by the institution in India to certain libraries in 
Great Britain ; and it was stated that thirty-one volumes had 
accordingly been forwarded by the packet which conveyed the 
work in question. It was added that Dr. Buchanan would 
for the present continue to superintend the affairs of the in- 
stitution. 

Such is the outline of the college for oriental translation con- 
ceived by Dr. Buchanan. His intention, in short, was to 
establish a British Propaganda, which, in proportion to the ex- 
tent of its objects, should be superior to that at Rome, the fame 
of which still survives in Asia. Objections would probably 
have occurred to different persons with respect to some of the 
provisions of this institution ; and it was obviously never con- 
sidered by its author as incapable of alteration and improve- 
ment. Its design and general plan were undoubtedly excel- 
lent, and would, probably, have been received with much ap- 
probation. 

Upon its original formation,* Dr. Buchanan proposed to the 
Baptist missionaries at Serampore, as extensively engaged in 

* See his Apology for promoting Christianity in India, p. 70. 



272 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

translating the scriptures, that they should accordingly asso- 
ciate, merely in that character, with other fellow labourers in 
different parts of India; that the missionary pursuits, properly 
so called, and the individual establishments of each society, 
should remain peculiar and private, as before ; but that the 
translators of the scriptures should act in concert, and maintain 
an amicable correspondence with each other, under the general 
direction of the superintendent, who would be responsible for 
the views and proceedings of the institution at large. The in- 
tention of this proposal was clearly not to supersede the meri- 
torious labours of the Baptist missionaries ; but to render them 
more effective, by incorporating them in one great and compre- 
hensive plan for the same important object, and by rescuing 
their operations from the appearance of any thing private or 
sectarian, and investing the united labours of the learned 
translators throughout India with a more public and national 
character. 

It may readily be imagined that the society at Serampore 
might feel some hesitation and even reluctance in acceding to 
this proposition, after the publicity which Dr. Buchanan had 
given to their extensive plan of oriental translation ; and it was, 
perhaps, expecting too much, that they should voluntarily 
abandon the " vantage ground" which they were thus occupy- 
ing. However this may be, the Baptist missionaries declined 
the proposal ; and the name of " the christian institution" was 
in consequence but partially assumed. The other branches of 
w r hich it was intended to be composed, including, besides those 
already named, one of the most distinguished oriental scholars 
of the present age, the late learned and lamented Dr. Ley den, 
who undertook the translation of the scriptures into the several 
dialects of the Malayan Archipelago, were generally associated, 
after Dr. Buchanan's departure from India, under the superin- 
tendence of the late Rev. Mr. Brown. 

The " Christian Institution" was, however, carried but very 
imperfectly into execution. On the arrival of the manuscript 
in England, though it was printed in pursuance of Dr. Bu- 
chanan's instructions, some of his friends, to whom the work 
was communicated, conceived that its publication was inex- 
pedient, and might even produce consequences injurious to 
the general cause of Christianity in India. Under these impres- 
sions, they took upon themselves to suppress the publication 
of the work, more especially as Dr. Buchanan had announced 
his intention of returning to this country in the course of the 
following year. Their determination was, doubtless, guided 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 273 

by a sincere desire to promote the great object of his labours ; 
and it will be seen that he acquiesced in their judgment. 

With respect to the main design of the christian institution, 
as a college of acknowledged responsibility, embracing the as- 
sociated learning and piety of the East for the grand purpose 
of sacred translation, and possessing commanding patronage, 
effective support, and enlarged superintendence and control, 
the failure of its establishment can scarcely be considered but 
as a subject of regret. The munificent donations of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society to its corresponding committee in 
Bengal, combined with the exertions of its eastern auxiliary 
branches, and those of other societies, have undoubtedly pro- 
moted, to a very splendid extent, the work of oriental transla- 
tion. It is, however, well known that various circumstances, 
inseparable from private and unconnected labours, have hitherto 
impeded its more complete and successful execution ; nor is it 
probable that these will ever be removed, but by recurring to 
the general plan so ably and comprehensively conceived and 
developed by Dr. Buchanan in his " Christian Institution." 

Of the fate of this elaborate plan in England, its author was 
necessarily ignorant. He continued, therefore, to mention it, 
amongst other topics, in his succeeding letters to his friends, 
as if in the course of execution. 

On the 9th of June, Dr. Buchanan thus wrote to Colonel 
Macau lay : 

" My dear Sir, — I yesterday received your letter of the 10th 
of May, enclosing the regulation against spiritual encroach- 
ments. It is admirably done, and the bishop of Yerapoli is 
saved. Your continuance in Travancore is important, if it re- 
ferred to nothing else than the ecclesiastical concerns of the 
country. 

" I am happy you stay a little longer on the coast. I shall 
hope to see you in November or December. All and every 
thing you have sent from the archives of Verapoli is interest- 
ing and important. Your account of the translation of the 
scriptures gives me and others here much pleasure. That work 
will prosper. 

" The Turk impedes my plan of route. I now propose to 
go through Armenia. I have ever been very desirous to visit 
the Armenian churches. But I have not determined what I 
shall do ; for we may expect many a revolution before January 
next. 

" The Tinavelly impostor is one of many who are lifting up 
their voices in the desert. This is an age for, * Lo here, and 



274 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

lo there.' There is a luxation in all the joints of the Brahmi- 
nical superstition, and the Wahahian philosophy is eating out 
Mohammedanism, as doth a canker. 

"The copper-plates are arrived at the custom-house here. I 
shall have them to-day. I am greatly obliged to you for this 
rapid transmission of them. 

" 1 thank Mr. Clephane for his friendly proposal as to the 
types. I shall confer with Mr. KolhofT on that subject. A 
fount must be cut ; that is certain. And from this fountain 
will flow a clear and living stream for the souls of men. I 
have despatched to the Archbishop of Canterbury, by the In- 
dus, a copy of St. Matthew's gospel in Chinese, and two of 
the gospels in Shanscrit. 

" I shall be obliged to your writer to inform Timapah Pulle 
(who is now employed in translation at Candenad) that I have 
received his letter ; that I am pleased with his services ; that 
if Colonel Macaulay deems it reasonable to add the Burdella 
Brahmin he speaks of to the list of translators, I shall approve 
of it ; that I am happy he (T. Pulle) begins to consider the 
christian religion the true faith ; and that I will stand his god- 
father, agreeably to his request, if he should prove worthy ; 
that I shall be glad to hear from him again, and that he may 
write to me in Malayalim, as I have an interpreter in Calcutta; 
and that the young man, his relation, who lives with him at 
Candenad, may receive from Colonel Macaulay six rupees per 
month, and arrears from the time of his own appointment, if he 
can show that the lad is useful to him in his work. 

" I remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

In the course of the ensuing month, Lord Minto, who had 
long been expected, arrived as Governor General in Bengal. 
In a letter to Colonel Macaulay, on the 17th of August, Dr. 
Buchanan notices his lordship's good example, and attendance 
on divine worship, and his attention to himself. " He wishes 
me," he adds, " to communicate fully with him on all the sub- 
jects which he knows have long engaged my attention." A 
subsequent paragraph in this letter thus mentions another 
very meritorious ecclesiastical servant of the company in India : 

" I have not seen the publication of Dr. Kerr, to which you 
allude." This was probably the account of the St. Thome 
christians, the Syro-Romish, and the Latin church in India, 
which was drawn up by that excellent man by order of the 
Madras government.* 

* See the Christian Observer, vol. vi. p. 751, and Christian Researches, 
p. 146. 






MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 275 

11 But," continues Dr. Buchanan, "I received from him 
yesterday his ■ Letter to Lord William Bentinck,' on the sub- 
ject of chaplains, printed and sent home by the Indus. Dr. 
Kerr is an ardent and useful friend of the christian religion ; 
and I think the court will make him one of his proposed vicars- 
general, or perhaps his suffragan bishop." 

It appears, therefore, that the necessity of an enlarged eccle- 
siastical establishment in India had occurred simultaneously to 
Dr. Buchanan and to Dr. Kerr. The latter zealous and la- 
borious chaplain, however, did not survive long enough to re- 
ceive any additional authority, even supposing that it would 
have been conferred upon him.* His honour and his reward 
are in heaven. 

Dr. Buchanan's next letter to Colonel Macaulay is dated 
September 15th, and contains some interesting notices respect- 
ing his intended journey overland to Europe, and the progress 
of the Malayalim translation of the scriptures. It refers, how- 
ever, at the close, to a painful subject, which is afterwards more 
fully explained. 

" My dear Sir, — I had the pleasure to receive the copies of 
your correspondence with government regarding the discipline 
of the churches. Every additional letter you write on that 
subject is an additional pin to the tabernacle. 

44 If I should go by Persia, 1 am prepared to spend twelve 
thousand rupees in presents. But I hope to be able to travel 
by the route of Bussorah, Mosul, and Aleppo. I proceed to 
Bombay in the Metcalfe, Captain Isaacke, who will sail from 
this place about the 10th or 15th of the next month, October. 
If practicable, he will set me down at Cochin. If not, I shall 
first arrange matters at Bombay, and then come down to Goa 
(which I wish much to visit) and to Cochin. 

44 1 am greatly obliged to you for your letter of the 2d of 
August, containing Colonel Capper's sentiments on a journey 
through Persia and Armenia. His remarks are highly interest- 
ing, and may be useful to me hereafter. I am more afraid of 
the French than of the Persians. 

I am happy at the arrival of the pontifical bull. A Pro- 
testant christian happy at the arrival of the pope's bull ! Tell 
it not to the Church of England or to the Kirk of Scotland. 
Yea, I am happy, even though the object of it be a rosy bishop, 
who delights to quaff the essence of sura ; for I hope through 

* For an account of this truly pious man, see the Christian Observer, vol. 
xi. p. 80. 



270 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

the medium of this bishop to diffuse the holy scriptures among 
thousands of my fellow creatures. 

M Within the last few days arrived your eight packets of the 
holy Gospels, translated into the Malayalim language. They 
have been contemplated with mingled affection and admiration 
by the missionary corps. David Grant is now employed in 
reading them through, and prefixing the titles to the books, and 
numbering the chapters in English. People wonder here at 
this rapid fruit of my visit to Malay ala. But yours is the praise, 
not mine. 

"As we have no fount of Malayalim types readv cut in 
Bengal, I mean to take the MS. with me to Bombay, and to 
have it printed there under the superintendence of Sir James 
Mackintosh. 

44 The translators may take their rest now for a little while. 
Until we can ascertain the accuracy of the translation of the 
Gospels, we need not proceed to the Epistles. You may there- 
fore settle accounts with the translators. I request you will 
thank them in my name for what has been done, and inform 
them, that I expect they will shortly resume their operations. 

44 1 beg you will remember me to Dr. Macaulay, and to Mr. 
Hughes, the philosopher of the mountains. I fear he cannot 
tell me yet the mode in which a rock snake is killed by the 
hunters. 

44 1 am on the eve, I fear, of a rupture with this government. 
The cause is the gospel. They are endeavouring to restrain 
the exertions of the missionaries in Bengal. I have not yet 
interfered. And I trust it will not be necessary ; for I love 
peace, and not war ; particularly at the moment of my leaving 
the countrv. But I shall do mv duty, and leave the event to 
God. 

44 I am, my dear sir, yours sincerely, C. Buchanan. " 

On the 22d of September, Dr. Buchanan wrote to his two 
daughters. The following passage from his letter alludes to 
their lamented mother in a peculiarly affecting manner : 

44 I am now about to quit India, and to go home to see you. 
I propose to leave Calcutta in the course of next month. If I 
find it dangerous to go home overland, I shall proceed from 
Bombay by sea. I shall probably sail over those waters where 
your dear mother lies. Do you not know that at the resur- 
rection of the dead she will come forth with a 4 glorious body V 
Though it be 4 sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory/ Of 
this you may read in the Bible, and in the burial service. 
Your mother will come forth with a 4 glorious body f for she 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 277 

was a good woman, and remembered her Creator in the days 
of her youth. Perhaps I shall die too before I reach England. 
You ought therefore to pray that God would preserve my life, 
if it be his will, (for I desire to do his will in all things,) that 
I may see you, and show you the affection of a father, and 
receive the affection of daughters, and lead you onward with 
myself to that happy state, whither your mother is gone before 
you." 

It is gratifying to reflect, that this affectionate and pious 
father was permitted to realize the delightful prospect which 
he thus anticipated. The following extract is from a letter -to 
Colonel Macaulay, which occurs shortly afterwards ; 

" Calcutta, 12th Oct. 1807. 
44 Your letters of the 13th and 15th ult. arrived on this day. 
I have perused with pleasure and pain your public letter on 
the subject of expenditure at your residency ; with pain, that 
your resources have been so scanty, and your fortune little ; 
with pleasure, that you have upheld your character with such 
dignity, and have repelled the insinuations of ignorance with 
such temperance and effect. The highest compliment I can 
pay you, (and I seldom pay compliments,) is to say, ? that 
every word in your letter will be believed by the honourable 
court.' 

" The attack I announced to you in my last has not been 
yet made. I wish you were at my side during the storm. I 
have friends, but they are not soldiers. I am the forlorn hope, 
and yet I have not twelve men. Nay, more, my friends tell me 
I shall certainly be killed. 

44 The assault however must be made, but whether by silen-t 
escalade at the midnight watch, or by heavy and hot battery 
at noon-day, I have not yet determined. I think the latter. 
You shall hear in a letter dated on or about the 1st of Novem- 
ber, me vivente, et Deo volente." 

The rupture with the supreme government, to which Dr. 
Buchanan refers in the preceding letters, was of so serious 
and unpleasant a nature, and is so closely connected with the 
illustration of his character, that it demands some farther ex- 
planation. 

Not long after his return from the coast of Malabar, Dr. 
Buchanan preached a series of discourses in the Presidency 
church, on the subject of the christian prophecies, which 
proved so acceptable to some of the congregation, that they 
expressed a wish that he would permit them to be printed; 
observing that, as he was about to return to Europe, they 

Aa 



278 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

hoped he would bequeath these discourses, as a parting memo- 
rial, to his friends. To this request Dr. Buchanan acceded, 
and, accordingly, made preparations for their publication. 
These sermons related chiefly to the divine predictions con- 
cerning the future universal propagation of the gospel, and 
were intended to excite the public attention to that important 
subject, as well as to animate and encourage those who, from 
the purest motives, were labouring to promote the knowledge 
of Christianity in India. Nothing could be more legitimate or 
laudable than such a design, conducted as it was by Dr. Bu- 
chanan, not in the spirit of violence and fanaticism, but of 
calm discussion, and reasonable and benevolent exertion. On 
transmitting, however, an advertisement to the government ga- 
zette, announcing the intended publication of his discourses, 
Dr. Buchanan was surprised to find that the insertion of it was 
refused, and that an order had been issued to the printers of 
the other newspapers, forbidding them to publish the obnoxious 
notice. Shortly afterwards he received a letter from the chief 
secretary to the Presidency, desiring that he would transmit the 
manuscript of his sermons on the prophecies for the inspection 
of government* To this unexpected demand Dr. Buchanan 
gave no immediate answer. It had long been the subject of 
painful observation to him, that on the departure of the Mar- 
quis Wellesley, during whose administration the spirit of pro- 
moting learning and religion in India had been general and 
ardent, a directly contrary disposition was manifested ; as if it 
had been previously restrained by his presence. This first 
appeared under the administration of Sir George Barlow, and 
had been acquiring strength ever since. Lord Minto had now 
assumed the supreme government ; and as several measures were 
adopted which appeared to Dr. Buchanan to operate very un- 
favourably for the interests both of learning and religion, he 
deemed it his duty, before he quitted Bengal, to address a me- 
morial to his lordship, in which he particularly directed his 
attention to the character and tendency of those measures ; 
and, in so doing, explained his reasons for declining to comply 
with the wishes of government respecting his sermons on the 
prophecies. The memorial was introduced to Lord Minto by 
the following letter : 

" To the Right Honourable Lord Minto, fyc. fyc. fyc. 

My Lord, — I beg leave respectfully to submit to your lord- 
ship some particulars regarding the present state of the chris- 
tian religion in Bengal, which I have thought it my duty to 
communicate for your lordship's information at this time. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 279 

" I trust you will do me the justice to believe, that it is with 
the utmost reluctance I trouble your lordship with a letter on 
such a subject so soon after your entrance on this government, 
when as yet few, if any, of the circumstances noticed in it 
can have come to your lordship's knowledge. 

" I have no other view in soliciting your attention to them, 
but the advancement of learning and religion. Perhaps no one 
has addressed your lordship on the subject since your arrival ; 
and there are certainly many particulars, regarding their pre- 
sent state, which it is of importance your lordship should 
know. 

" Being about to leave India, I feared lest I should hereafter 
reproach myself, if I withheld any thing at this time which I 
conceived might be useful, particularly as I have been farther 
eneouraged to address your lordship, by your known conde- 
scension in receiving any communications which are honestly 
intended. 

" I have the honour to be, my lord, with much respect, 
your most obedient humble servant, C. Buchanan. 

* Calcutta, 9th Nov. 1807." 

The memorial which accompanied the preceding letter, and 
which was published some years afterwards* by Dr. Buchanan 
in his own vindication and defence, evinces, as it has been 
well observed, " the temperate firmness of a man, who, know- 
ing that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, is nei- 
ther ashamed to profess, nor afraid to defend it." It is intro- 
duced by a statement of the circumstances which have been 
just mentioned, as having led to this address to the Governor 
General. Dr. Buchanan gave full credit to the officers of his 
lordship's government, of whose conduct respecting the chris- 
tian religion he complained, that they were acting according to 
the best of their judgment ; but adds, with much force and 
propriety of expression, " not to promote Christianity may, in 
certain circumstances, be prudent ; but to repress Christianity 
will not, I think, in any case, be defended." In proof of 
such a spirit of hostility to the progress of the gospel in India, 
which is the main subject of his memorial, Dr. Buchanan spe- 
cified the four following facts : " First, the withdrawing of 
the patronage of government from the translation of the holy 
scriptures into the oriental tongues." " Second, attempting to 
suppress the translation of the scriptures." " Third, sup- 
pressing the encomium of the honourable, the Court of Di- 

* See his Apology for Promoting Christianity in India. 



280 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

rectors on the venerable missionary, the Rev. Mr. Swartz :" 
and, " Fourth, restraining the Protestant missionaries in Ben- 
gal from the exercise of their functions, and establishing an 
imprimatur for theological works.' 1 

The truth of the two first of the preceding allegations has 
been already proved by the course of these memoirs, and needs, 
therefore, no additional confirmation. The third rests upon 
the simple fact, that the Bengal government, instead of follow- 
ing the example of those of Madras and Bombay, in giving 
publicity to the honourable testimony which had been recently 
borne by the Court of Directors to the merits of the venerable 
Swartz, in sending out to Fort St. George a marble monument 
to his memory, with a suitable inscription, which was ordered 
to be translated into the languages of the country, had chosen 
to pass over the whole transaction in silence ; and had aggra- 
vated this neglect by permitting the insertion of an article in 
the Calcutta Gazette, " the obvious tendency of which was to 
bring the chracter and labours of the christian missionary into 
contempt." 

On the fourth head of the complaint preferred by Dr. Bu- 
chanan in his memorial, it will be necessary to be somewhat 
more particular. The success of the Protestant mission in 
Bengal, Dr. Buchanan affirmed to have been long a source of 
uneasiness to those officers of government who did not think it 
right to attempt the conversion of the natives. And some of 
the native moonshees, attached to the public offices, knowing 
the sentiments of their superiors, were not backward in seiz- 
ing any occasion to complain of the missionaries, which might 
be presented to them. Some clamour of this kind had been 
raised at two different times within a few years, but had passed 
away without offence to the christian religion. The complaint 
of the moonshees against the missionaries on the latter occa- 
sion was, that they had in a certain tract " applied abusive 
epithets to Mahomet." This tract, being an account of the 
life of Mahomet, composed by a native convert, had issued 
from the missionary press at Serampore, but without the know- 
ledge of the missionaries themselves. 

In commenting on this charge, Dr. Buchanan observed, 
" the missionaries certainly mistake the proper method of con- 
vincing the minds of men, if they use epithets of abuse; the 
successful method of preaching is by argument and affectionate 
address ; and I presume this has been their general method 
during the fourteen years of their mission. 

11 At the same time, christian teachers are not to speak with 
reverence or courtesy of Juggernaut or Mahomet; they must 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 281 

speak as the scriptures speak ; that is, of false gods as false 
gods, and of a lying prophet as a lying prophet. The Maho- 
metans apply abusive epithets and vulgar curses to the idolatry 
of the Hindoos, and to the faith of christians ; and these epi- 
thets are contained in books : the government might, on the 
same principle, have been assailed with the petitions of chris- 
tians and Hindoos against the Mahometans." 

The complaint, however, of the Mohammedans produced 
various restrictions on the proceedings of the missionaries, 
which were defended on the plea that the public faith had been 
pledged to leave the natives in the undisturbed exercise of their 
religions. If by not disturbing the natives in the exercise of 
their religion, it is meant that we are to use no means for dif- 
fusing Christianity among them, then, observed Dr. Buchanan," 
"this pledge has been violated by every government in India, 
and has been systematically broken by the East India Com- 
pany from the year 1698, to the present time. The charter of 
1698 expressly stipulates that they shall use means to instruct 
the Gentoos, &c, in the christian religion. Nor in this is 
there any thing at variance with the pledge in question. It is 
a very different thing to apply arguments to the mind, and vio- 
lence to the body ; to civilize and humanize, to address the 
understandings and affections of subjects, and to interfere with 
their superstitions by compulsory acts." 

After various illustrations of the countenance afforded by the 
Company itself to christian missionaries, and of their successful 
efforts in different parts of India, Dr. Buchanan adds the fol- 
lowing observation: 

" It has been the usual conduct of Asiatic governments to let 
Christianity alone. In the annals of the British administration 
in India, has there been no instance of the suppression of a 
christian mission." 

Having presented the preceding considerations to the notice 
of Lord Minto, Dr. Buchanan recurs to the subject of his dis- 
courses on the prophecies. He had, at the opening of his me- 
morial, professed that he would willingly transmit them to the 
perusal of the Governor General, and that he should be happy 
to receive such observations on them as his lordship's learning 
and candour might suggest. " But," adds Dr. Buchanan, " I 
now beg leave to submit to your lordship's judgment whether, 
in the view of the temper of mind displayed above, it would 
be proper in me to submit my compositions to the opinion and 
revision of the officers of your lordship's government. I in- 
cline not to commit them to the hands of those officers from 
another consideration : it would be a bad precedent. I would 

Aa2 



282 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

not that it should be thought that anywhere in the British do- 
minions there exists any thing like a civil inquisition into mat- 
ters purely religious. 

11 It is nearly two months since I received the letter from 
government on this matter, and I have not yet communicated 
my intentions. 1 now beg leave to inform your lordship that 
I do not wish to give government any unnecessary offence. I 
shall not publish the prophecies. 

"At the same time I beg leave most respectfully to assure 
your lordship that I am not in any way disappointed by the 
interference of government on this occasion. The supposed 
suppression of the christian prophecies has produced the con- 
sequence that might be expected. The public curiosity has 
been greatly excited to see these prophecies ; and to draw the 
attention of men to the divine predictions could be the only 
object I had in view, in noticing them in the course of my 
public ministry. Another consequence will probably be, the 
Prophecies will be translated into the languages of the East, 
and thus pave the way, as has sometimes happened, for their 
own fulfilment. " 

Dr. Buchanan closed his memorial with entreating Lord 
Minto, in case any circumstance should afford a pretext for 
renewing the attempt to suppress the translation of the scrip- 
tures, that the Chinese translation, in which, as its original 
proposer and patron, he felt peculiarly interested, might at 
least be spared ; and with offering any farther evidence or ex- 
planation of the facts asserted in his letter, which his lordship 
might require. This offer, however, Lord Minto did not con- 
descend to accept. He did not even honour Dr. Buchanan 
with a single word of reply. Instead of considering the me- 
morial as a communication intended to inform his lordship on 
subjects with which he was likely to be unacquainted, he view- 
ed it as disrespectful to his government, and transmitted it by 
the very fleet which conveyed Dr. Buchanan himself to Eng- 
land, to the Court of Directors, accompanied by a commentary, 
of which Dr. Buchanan remained perfectly ignorant till some 
years afterwards ; when, with many other documents relative 
to Christianity in India, it was laid upon the table of the house 
of commons. It then attracted his notice, and called forth some 
remarks, which will be better considered when we arrive, in 
the course of this narrative, at the period of their publication. 
The Bengal government, however, not having thought proper 
to pay any attention to his memorial, Dr. Buchanan deemed it 
to be his duty to transmit a copy of it to the Court of Directors, 
which he did immediately before his departure from Calcutta, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN". 283 

accompanied by a letter, in which he expressed his hope that 
some general principles on the comparative importance of re- 
ligion in political relations in India, might be established at 
home, and transmitted to our eastern government for their 
guidance. Dr. Buchanan concluded his address to the ho- 
nourable court, by recalling to their notice the solemn charge 
which he had received about eleven years since from their 
chairman, the late Sir Stephen Lushington, the tenor of which 
has been already stated. " In obedience to these instructions," 
observes Dr. Buchanan, " I have devoted myself much to the 
advancement of the christian religion, and of useful learning, 
since my arrival in India ; using such means as I was possess- 
ed of, and directing the opportunities which have offered, to 
the accomplishment of that object. I am yet sensible that I 
have fulfilled very imperfectly the injunctions of your honoura- 
ble court. It suffices, however, for my own satisfaction, if 
what I have done, has been well done ; that is, with honesty 
of purpose, and with the sanction of truth. In my exhibition 
of the religious and moral state of British India, I might have 
palliated the fact, and presented a fair picture, where there was 
nothing but deformity. But, in so doing, I should not have 
done honour to the spirit of the admonitions of your venerable 
chairman, now deceased. And however grateful it may be for 
the present moment to suppress painful truths, yet as my la- 
bours had chiefly reference to the benefit of times to come, I 
should not, by such means, have conciliated the respect of your 
illustrious body twenty years hence." 

Under these impressions, Dr. Buchanan requested that the 
court would be pleased to investigate fully his proceedings, with 
respect to the promotion of Christianity in India, that the com- 
pany at large might be enabled justly to appreciate them ; and 
that he might be encouraged (if it should appear that encourage- 
ment were due) to prosecute an undertaking which seemed, he 
said, to have commanded the applause of all good men, and 
which had certainly commenced with omens of considerable 
success. 

The preceding letter to the Court of Directors was not pub- 
lished with the memorial to the government at Bengal, nor 
does it seem to have been noticed by the court. Neither of 
those addresses, however, though unacknowledged at the time, 
was unproductive of effect. In Bengal, a more favourable dis- 
position on the part of the government, towards the promotion 
of Christianity, shortly afterwards appeared ; and the reply of 
the Court of Directors to the representations of the Governor 
General in council, though not friendly to Dr. Buchanan, was, 



281 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN*. 

as we shall hereafter perceive, strongly marked by those en- 
lightened and liberal views which he had been so anxious to 
see established for the guidance of our Indian governments. 
The favourable change which took place in the conduct of the 
Bengal government towards the mission at Serampore, is, 
however, chiefly to be ascribed to the memorial presented by 
the missionaries themselves to the Governor General in coun- 
cil ; which, when published a few years afterwards in this 
country, excited general admiration. 

The painful transaction which has now been detailed was 
nearly the last of a public nature in which Dr. Buchanan was 
engaged in Calcutta. The time was now approaching for his 
second and final departure from that city. Accordingly, in the 
month of November, he preached his farewell sermon to the 
congregation at the mission church from the words of St. Paul 
to the Philippians, chap. i. 27, " Only let your conversation 
be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come 
and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that 
ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for 
the faith of the gospel." From this appropriate and interest- 
ing passage, Dr. Buchanan delivered a discourse remarkable 
for the importance of the practical truths which it enforced. 
After an introductory view of the origin and progress of the 
church at Philippi, Dr. Buchanan considered the two parti- 
culars, of which the parting request of the apostle to his fa- 
vourite converts consists. The first respects the holy practice 
which they were exhorted to maintain. 

" Without a highly moral conversation," observed Dr. Bu- 
chanan, " a congregation of christians cannot be said to have 
substance or being ; for faith without works is dead. Unless 
the world see something particular in your works, they will 
give you no credit for your faith ; or, rather, they will not care 
what your faith may be. In such circumstances, your faith 
will give them no trouble. But when ' wonderful works' ap- 
pear, they will begin to ask what ' power hath produced them.' 
In this very epistle, the apostle calls the christians at Philippi, 
1 the sons of God,' and the * lights of the w r orld ;' and he ex- 
presses his hope, that their conduct would be correspondent 
with these noble and distinguishing appellations." 

" Now," continues Dr. Buchanan, fci when this light shineth 
to the world, even the light of a holy life and conversation, it 
will be manifested by these two circumstances : First, it will 
not be agreeable to some. And, secondly, some will misre- 
present your motives, or attach to your conduct an evil name ; 
accusing you of hypocrisy, or of unnecessary strictness. And 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 285 

if no man allege any thing of this kind against you, if the worst 
of men make no derogatory remark on your conduct, then may 
you doubt whether you are walking in the steps of the faithful 
servants of Christ. They all were marked out by the world, 
as being in a greater or less degree singular and peculiar in 
their conduct, as persons swayed by other principles and sub- 
ject to other laws. If these things be so, you will perceive 
how little concerned you ought to be about the praise of man, 
or the honour which cometh from the world." 

Dr. Buchanan then proceeded to the second part of the apos- 
tle's exhortation ; and, in urging the duty of " striving for the 
faith of the gospel," he observed, " this will appear strange to 
nominal christians, both preachers and hearers. But w r hen- 
once a man's heart comes under the influence of the grace of 
God, he will discover (perhaps in old age for the first time) 
that it is his duty, and it will be his pleasure, to promote the 
faith of the gospel, by every way ; by his means, by his in- 
fluence, by his exhortation, by his example. Every true dis- 
ciple of Christ, however humble his situation, or peculiar his 
circumstances, will find opportunities of doing something for 
the faith of the gospel. And, indeed, the poor often enjoy 
means of usefulness, which, from many causes, are denied to 
their superiors." 

Dr. Buchanan next directed the attention of his hearers to 
the apostle's rule for the successful pursuit of this great object, 
" that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind — that they 
should preserve unity ; unity in the faith, and in the church." 
The following passage, relative to this important point, dis- 
plays considerable acuteness of observation : 

u You will generally observe, in the present day, that new 
opinions concerning forms and doctrine are chiefly introduced 
by men who have had little learning in their youth ; so that, 
when in advanced life they begin to be serious and to acquire 
knowledge, the novelty flatters their understandings for a time, 
and leads them to adopt new systems, as they acquire new 
knowledge. This is very natural. Whereas those in w 7 hom 
serious piety and sound learning have united in early life, are 
seldom subject to such changes. But the unsettled man is 
designated by St. Paul under the appellation of a ' novice,' 
whatever his age may be ; one who, being lifted up for a time 
in his own conceit, gradually loses his reputation, or perhaps 
has a fall in the face of the church. And, when his pride has 
been thus humbled, he generally returns to meekness of con- 
duct and sobriety of speech." 



286 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Dr. Buchanan noticed, in the third place, the nature of that 
faith for which christians ought to strive. 

" With respect to this," he observed, " it is not necessary 
for me now to declare it. It hath often been described to you 
from this place, even that 4 faith which was once delivered unto 
the saints ;' and which hath descended from age to age, like 
a pure stream of the water of life, gladdening the hearts of 
men, and nourishing their souls unto everlasting life. Amongst 
yourselves have there been some, who drank of it deeply, and 
have now passed away into glory ; good and holy persons, 
who bequeathed to you an illustrious testimony, and pointed 
out to you the ' true way.' These all died in faith, and now 
inherit the promises. These are your i cloud of witnesses;' 
that you should ' run with patience the race that is set before 
you.' These once, like some of you now, endured suffering 
for conscience' sake, some trouble of body, or some distress of 
mind. But all was sanctified to them, as it will be to you ; 
they endured unto the end, and their names shall be had in 
everlasting remembrance." 

The sermon was concluded by a faithful and solemn exhor- 
tation to the young and to the old, to those who doubted as to 
" the true way," to the sinner and the saint, to strive to ob- 
tain, and, having obtained, to adorn and recommend the faith of 
the gospel. " It only remains," added Dr. Buchanan, "that 
I implore the solemn benediction of God on this congregation. 

" I pray, that the word of Christ may * run and be glorified' 
amongst you ; that from this place, as from a fountain, streams 
of truth may flow far and wide ; that you may be ever blessed 
with wise and learned instructors, ' able ministers of the New 
Testament,' who shall take delight in dispensing the word of 
life, and in tending the flock committed to their care ; and, 
finally, that the honour of your church may ever be preserved 
pure from any stain, that ye may uphold a conduct ■ blameless 
and harmless,' as examples to men, as 4 the lights of the world ; ' 
striving together, with one mind and in one spirit, for the faith 
of the gospel." 

Such was the simple but impressive strain in which Dr. 
Buchanan took leave of the congregation which contained the 
greater proportion of religious persons in Calcutta. His fare- 
well at the Presidency church was probably of a different na- 
ture, though characterized by the same pastoral fidelity and 
practical wisdom as that which we have just observed. There 
were, doubtless, some in each congregation from whom he 
would regret to be separated, and many who would lament his 
departure. Mr. Brown would particularly feel the loss of his 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 287 

able and affectionate coadjutor and friend, with whom he had 
taken " sweet counsel" in the house of God, and had shared 
the burthen and the heat of many a laborious day. Of the 
sentiments entertained by this excellent man respecting his 
learned and valuable colleague, the following brief extract from 
a confidential letter to his brother, written just as Dr. Buchanan 
was on the eve of his departure from Calcutta, will be a suffi- 
cient testimony. 

" You ask me," says Mr. Brown, " if Dr. Buchanan is my 
friend ? I answer, I know no man in the world who excels him 
in useful purpose, or deserves my friendship more. Perhaps 
there is no man in the world who loves him so much as I do ; 
because no man knows him so well. Further, no man I be- 
lieve in the world would do me service like him. We have 
lived together in the closest intimacy ten years, without a shade 
of difference in sentiment, political or religious. It is need- 
less to add, without a jar in word or deed. He is the man to 
do good in the earth, and. worthy of being Metropolitan of the 
East." 

The private and unaffected nature of the letter from which 
the preceding passage is extracted, the well known simplicity 
and integrity of the writer's character, and the perfect com- 
petency of his testimony, render this warm and energetic tri- 
bute to the merit of his friend peculiarly valuable. To sepa- 
rate from such a colleague must have been a subject of sincere 
regret to him. But, with this and a few other exceptions, Dr. 
Buchanan's ties to India were neither strong nor numerous. 
The society of Calcutta is necessarily fluctuating. One of the 
most important branches of his employment no longer existed ; 
he had laid the foundation of a great work for the promotion of 
Christianity in India, which he could in future more advantage- 
ously forward and defend in his native country ; and thither he 
felt attracted by the associations of early and maturer life, by 
filial duty, and paternal affection. For this return, therefore, 
after making a variety of arrangements to ensure the continuance 
of the works carrying on under what he considered to be the 
" Christian Institution," more particularly of the Chinese class 
at Serampore, he at length prepared. 

On the 27th of November, Dr. Buchanan left Calcutta, and 
reached Fulta the next day ; and from this place he wrote to 
Colonel Sandys as follows : 

" Dear Sandys, — I am thus far on my way to Europe. I 
sail in the Baretto to Goa, to look into the inquisition there, and 
examine the libraries. Thenee I proceed to Bombay. 



288 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 A few days ago I received your letter of the 28th of May, 
1807, dated from Northwold, containing the signatures of the 
little girls. They write very well, and have made a flattering 
progress in their education. I am much obliged to you for 
your particular account of the two children, which is very cor- 
rect, 1 believe, and very pleasing. Being long estranged from 
them, and hearing none converse about them, I seldom think of 
them now comparatively. But when we meet again, I suppose 
we shall fall in love. 

44 You observed in some of your late letters that you heard 
I was likely to be married again. It so happens that I have 
not once thought of it. It is possible that I may marry some 
time after my arrival in England. But yet I would avoid it, for 
some reasons. It is a subject I think not of. 

" Instead of love and marriage, I am engaged in war and 
fightings. I have been obliged to address this government 
publicly on its hostility to religion and to its progress in India. 
All Calcutta wondered what step government would take. In 
the midst of this strange scene, I paid a farewell visit to them 
all, and left every creature, from the Governor General to the 
pilots, on good terms. 

44 1 have now finished my labours, and pray that God may 
bless them. 

44 1 have been down here for eight days, waiting the despatch 
of the ship. The Calcutta people have not been uninterested 
in my late contention with the government ; and I hear some 
of them have called a ship by my name, since I came down 
here. The 4 Christian Institution in the East' is unknown in 
Calcutta to this hour, though active in its operation. 

44 Yours affectionately, C. Buchanan." 

The ship in which Dr. Buchanan sailed left Saugor on the 
9th of December ; but no memorial of his voyage occurs until 
the 23d of that month, when he wrote to Mr. Brown as fol- 
lows, from Columbo, in the island of Ceylon : 

44 Ceylon again ! In crossing the Gulf of Manaar, we en- 
countered a gale, and put into Columbo. I had requested the 
captain to touch here when I left Calcutta ; and now he was 
obliged of necessity. I have been well on board, and well 
treated. Many causes for thankfulness, as usual. The Adele 
was taken by the Russell the day before we came up to her, 
and we had parted convoy. In the Gulf of Manaar we were 
about to throw over our cargo, when the gale abated. 

44 On my arrival here, many of the chief persons waited on 
me. From my having touched last year at so many Dutch 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 289 

settlements, I found all the families knew me. I have only 
been here three days, having arrived on Monday last, and the 
ship proceeds on her voyage on Friday. I have some thoughts 
of letting her go, and following at my leisure ; for I find there 
is something for me here to do. What a field for English, 
Dutch, and Cingalese preachers in this fertile and renowned 
land ! 

" I propose to proceed straight to Cochin from this place. 
Sir James Mackintosh is on the Malabar coast, I hear, with 
his family. Two Bombay civil servants now here wish rne 
to travel by land from Cochin to Goa. They have been judges 
and collectors for fourteen years on that coast, and allege they 
know more about the christians than any other persons in 
India, They complain much of the undue influence of Goa, 
exercised sometimes cruelly on all christians who are not 
Catholics. Mr. B. carries me out to-day to his country house, 
to visit some of the Cingalese christian churches. 

" My affectionate regards to all your family." 

By the date of his next letter, Dr. Buchanan appears to have 
left the Baretto, in which he originally embarked from Calcutta, 
and to have exchanged that ship for the Canton, from which, 
on the 26th of December, he thus wrote off Cochin to Colonel 
Macaulay : 

11 1 had flattered myself with the hope of being landed here, 
but the commander of the ship cannot wait, and I am disap- 
pointed. He has engaged to put me down at Goa, where I 
propose to remain some time, and from whence I shall write 
to you particularly. I left Calcutta on the 8th inst. and touched 
at Columbo, where I staid some days, and found flattering as- 
surances of support in our evangelizing plans for that island. 
There is less prejudice there than in the Company's settle- 
ments. This is the third time that I have visited Ceylon ; so 
that the people begin to think I have some serious design 
against them. 

In my last I believe I informed you that I was standing in 
the breach. I have now the pleasure to announce that the 
battle has been fought. Long consultations were held how to 
proceed. It was at last decreed that I should be permitted to 
depart in peace. 

" I have the copy of the Malayalim scriptures with me, and 
mean to print when at Bombay : five thousand copies will suf- 
fice for a beginning, I suppose. 

11 I left Misrahi, my Jew, in Calcutta, with his own con* 

Bb 



290 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sent. I have advanced him in the whole a thousand rupees ; 
so I suppose he will trade there. 

" 1 hope to see you before I leave India; but I do not know 
at this moment where or how. May all our resolves and pur- 
poses be acceptable to the divine will ! 

" Mr. Johnston, Judge at Colnmbo, will furnish me with 
some important official documents relating to the state of Chris- 
tianity in that island. The Governor was absent; but Major 
Maitland (Lord Lauderdale's son) came to inform me that he 
would return in two days, if I would stay to see him. I could 
not stay ; but I communicated to him that, if he would give to 
the Cingalese translation of the scriptures his countenance, I 
would give money ; and Judge Johnston would find instru- 
ments. Mr. J. is an excellent Cingalese scholar himself." 

Notwithstanding the disappointment of which Dr. Buchanan 
expressed his expectation at the commencement of the preced- 
ing letter, we find him two days afterwards safely landed at 
Cochin, and under the roof of his friend, Colonel Macaulay. 
He thus writes to Mr. Brown : 

" Cochin, 28th Dec. 1807. 

" On the 24th, Christmas-eve, w r e left Columbo, crossed the 
Gulf of Manaar on Christmas-day, and arrived here on the 
27th, yesterday. I found all my Jews and Christians in fine 
health and spirits, and highly gratified at my unexpected ar- 
rival. I reside with Colonel Macaulay. After passing some 
time in these regions, he accompanies me up the coast, by 
land, through all the christian territories, as far as Cananore, 
perhaps Mangalore, whence I proceeded by sea to Goa. 

" The Jews have lately had a meeting about the prophecies. 
And I am about to call another Sanhedrim on the subject 
before I go. It is a strange event. 

" I am happy I have visited this place a second time. May 
God direct all these things to his own glory, and to the good of 
men ! I have need of watchfulness and prayer. Much lies 
before me, ere I leave India, yet ; if ever I leave it. 

" Tell H. that the poor Jews, blind, lame, and halt, are 
come this morning, exclaiming, as usual, ' Jehuda Ani.' I 
wish I could impart a better gift than silver or gold. The 
Rajah of Travancore has desired I will visit him. I do not 
know what to do. The Rajah of Cochin has offered to come 
over to see me. Ambassadors from the Syrian christians are 
expected to-morrow." 

On the 2d of January, 1808, Dr. Buchanan left Cochin, ac- 
companied by Colonel Macaulay, on a second tour upon the 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 291 

coast of Malabar. The following letter to Mr. Brown will 
alfor J an interesting account of their progress : 

"Telliciierry, 14th Jan. 1808. 

"I write this from the fort which the English first built in 
India ; and where, as Tippoo observed in his official manifesto, 
the English pedlars * first exhibited their scissors and knives.' 
Tellicherry lines enclose nine miles in circumference ; and the 
natives have enjoyed the protection of the English for about 
one hundred arid sixty years. The enemy was never suffered 
to destroy them. But no English church, or house of prayer, 
has yet been built. From this spot we extended our power to 
the utmost limits of India. 

M Colonel Macaulay has accompanied me thus far. We first 
proceeded from Cochin to the famous Shanscrit college at Tri- 
chiur, and thence to a district of the Syrian christians which 
I had not before visited. It was named, by Hyder, Nazarani 
Ghur, or the city of the Nazarenes. It is a beautiful place, 
fertile and populous. The town is four square, having four 
gates, built on the side of a hill, with steps cut in the rock 
from street to street, surrounded by lofty groves of palm and 
other trees. A verdant meadow winds about the foot of the 
hill, and the whole country is a scene of hill and dale. The 
priests and people knew me, and received us with great affec- 
tion. Colonel Macaulay accompanied me to the principal 
church. Having signified my intention of presenting a large 
gold medal to this church, in the name of all the Syrian 
churches in Malayalim, a vast concourse of people assembled. 
There is no person in the town but Nazarenes. The medal 
which I presented to them was that which Mrs. J. gave me 
before I left Calcutta. It is about three times as large as a col- 
lege gold medal, and exhibits the baptism of Jesus in Jordan, 
eleganty executed ; and, on the reverse, a child brought to be 
baptized. I placed it on the altar, in the presence of the peo- 
ple, with due solemnity, and, beside it, a gift to the poor. This 
town is in the territories of the Rajah of Cochin, whom I 
visited a fortnight ago. Tippoo invaded this Syrian colony in 
1789. The people pointed out to me the grove of trees on 
which the christians were hanged. They are now so respect- 
able for number and opulence, that the Rajah of Cochin is 
obliged to treat them with indulgence ; and the more so, as 
they are within four miles of the English territories in Mala- 
bar. Nazarani Bazar (as it is sometimes called) is due east 
from Paniani, and is near Palghutcheri. This second visit to 
the Syrian churches has been useful. 



202 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

The Jews at Cochin are very unsettled in relation to the 
prophecies. They wonder at the attention paid by the Eng- 
lish to these subjects, for the first time. You will read in the 
Bombay Courier an account of a ceremony in the synagogue 
at Cochin, which took place at Christmas last, a lew days be- 
fore I arrived. Some of the Jews interpret the prophechies 
aright, and some in another way ; but all agree that a great era 
is at hand. 

44 I visited Mahe, a beautiful place, formerly a French fort, 
but now in ruins, and Calicut. At this last place Vasco de 
Gama landed in 1497, at a line bay a little above the town. I 
saw the ruins of the Samoriirs palace, in which he was first 
received. The Mahometan towns on the sea-coast are large 
and populous. The Romish christians are numerous. The 
English christians complain that there is no Protestant church 
or minister on this coast, except a chaplain to the garrison at 
Can an ore. 

44 The march of Menou prevents my going home by land. 

" I propose to proceed to Goa in a day or two, and thence to 
Bombay, if time permit. I reside here at the house of Mr. 
C, the Judge of the province. 

44 1 enjoy good health in this favoured land. Amidst all my 
researches, the importance of the gospel appears everywhere 
conspicuous. Every evil I witness, and every defect, might 
be remedied by the gospel, whether among the natives or the 
Europeans.'' 

Dr. Buchanan's next letter to Mr. Brown is dated 4; Goa, 
25th January, from the great hall of the Inquisition." It con- 
tains an account of his bold and interesting visit to that 
metropolis of the Roman Catholic religion in the east, and 
is similar to that with which the public in general is already 
well acquainted.* Instead, therefore, of repeating that admi- 
rable narrative, in which the ardour of christian research, and 
of christian courage and benevolence, are strikingly displayed, 
a sketch of this enterprising expedition only shall be given, 
which occurs in a letter to Colonel Macaulay. 

44 On my arrival at Goa I was hospitably entertained by 
Captain Schuyler. He and Colonel Adams introduced me 
next day to the Viceroy, who affects great pomp, rails at the 
French, and is a true Frenchman at heart. Next day Major 
Pareira went up with me to old Goa. The archbishop re- 
ceived me cordially. I professed a purpose of remaining some 
days there. This, it seems, was unusual, and it occasioned 

* Christian Researches, pp. 155—178. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 293 

some discussion and difficulty. At last I was received by one 
of the Inquisitors ; not your friend, (who lives at a distance 
from the place,) but by the second Inquisitor, Josephus a Do- 
loribus, the chief agent of the Inquisition, and the most learned 
man of the place. By this malleus hereticorum was I re- 
ceived in his convent of the Augustinians, in a suit of cham- 
bers next his own. He was extremely communicative. All 
the libraries were opened, and were extensive and valuable be- 
yond my conception. That of the Augustinians, alone, 
appeared to be larger than the library of the college of Fort 
William. 

" My object all this time was the Inquisition, and I gleaned 
much information imperceptibly. I disguised my purpose for 
the first three days, and the Inquisitor referred me to various 
books and documents elucidating the very subject I wanted to 
investigate ; so that, on the fourth day, I attacked him directly 
on the present state of the Inquisition. 

" I had already discovered that it was abolished in 1775, by 
the court of Portugal, on account of its inhuman rigour; that 
in 1779 it was restored on the accession of the present queen ; 
and that it has been in operation ever since. On its restora- 
tion its rigour was qualified in some points. It was not to 
have a public Auto da Fe ; but it was permitted to have a pri- 
vate one annually. The dungeons and torture remain the 
same. It has power to incarcerate for life ; and there are now 
victims in its cells. The tribunal is supported in its ancient 
pomp, and its establishment is full. In fact, it is the only de- 
partment which is alive in ancient Goa. 

Josephus a Doloribus was alarmed when he discovered the 
real drift of my inquiries. I told him that he had now said so 
much, he might as well tell me all; and that I should not 
leave Goa till I had seen the Inquisition. He at last consented 
to show me the great hall. I accompanied him, clothed in the 
solemn robes of his office. When I had surveyed the place 
awhile in silence, I desired that he would now let me go be- 
low and visit the dungeons. He refused ; and here our first 
contest began. I told him that if he did not open the dun- 
geons, and let me count the captives, and inquire into the pe- 
riods of their imprisonment, and learn the number of deaths 
within the last year, I should naturally believe that he had a 
good reason for the concealment, and that the ancient horrors 
of the Inquisition still subsisted. Whereas, if he would now 
unbar his locks, I could only declare to the public the truth as 
it was, and nothing would be left to imagination, He felt the 
force of this ; but answered, that he could not oblige me, coa* 

Bb3 



20 I MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

sistently with his oath or duty as an Inquisitor. I observed 
that he had broken that oath frequently during the last four 
days, and that he had himself noticed in his own justification, 
that the ancient regulations of the church were in many in- 
stances obsolete. I then put the following question solemnly, 
' Declare to me the number of captives which are at this mo- 
ment in the dungeons below.' 'That, sir, is a question,' said 
he, ■ which I must not answer.' 

" I was now in the hall where the captives were wont to be 
marshalled when they proceeded to the flames. I contemplated 
the scene awhile with mournful reflection, and then retired. 
The alcaides and familiars of the holy Inquisition stood around 
me, wondering at my introduction into the hall, and my con- 
versation with the Inquisitor. I went into a neighbouring 
church and ruminated on what I had seen and heard. I re- 
solved to go again to the Inquisition. The familiars, thinking 
I had business with the Inquisitor, admitted me. I imme- 
diately saw a poor woman sitting on a bench in the great hall. 
She appeared very disconsolate, and was waiting to be called 
before the tribunal in the next room. I went towards the tri- 
bunal, and was met at the door by Josephus a Doloribus, who 
seemed to have lost his temper at this intrusion, and exclaim- 
ed, * Quid vis tu, Domine?' All our discourse was in Latin. 
I told him I wanted to speak with the chief Inquisitor, who 
was then on the bench. I then looked at the poor woman 
very significantly, and then at him — x\nd what has this poor 
woman done? lie was silent and impatient to lead me out. 
When we came to the head of the stairs, I took my last leave 
of Josephus a Doloribus, and repeated once more in his ears, 
what I had pleasantly pronounced before in our amicable dis- 
cissions about the Inquisition, s Delenda est Carthago^ 

" Before I left Goa, I communicated to him my intention (I 
first declared it to him in his own cell) of addressing the arch- 
bishop in a Latin letter, which would probably be published, 
on the four following subjects : 

" I. The Inquisition. 

" 2. The want of Bibles for the priests. 

"3. The disuse of public preaching and instruction in his 
diocese. 

"4. The state of the public libraries. 

" This letter I began and dated from the convent of the Au- 
gustinians, 25th January, 1808. I shall probably print it be- 
fore I leave Point de Galle. 

" My visit at Goa has excited a very general alarm among 
the priests. The Viceroy wishes success to my endeavours. . 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 295 

The English at Goa seemed to know little or nothing about 
the subject. The whole Catholic body there are awed by it ; 
and it was said that some would suffer in consequence of my 
visit; for Major B., and others of the Viceroy's household, 
were known to furnish me with every information in their 
power. But at last I perceived that even B< himself, the phi- 
losophic, liberal, learned B., was cowed, and endeavoured to 
draw off." 

On quitting his friend, Josephus a Doloribus, whose favour 
and forbearance had perhaps been conciliated by the present of 
a small purse of moidores, previously to his admission into 
the santa casa, Dr. Buchanan confesses, in his letter to Mr* 
Brown, that his own mind was much agitated. 

44 1 began to perceive," he says, " a cowardly fear of re* 
maining longer in the power of the Inquisitors. My servants 
had repeatedly urged me to go, and I set off about twelve 
o'clock, not less indignant at the Inquisition of Goa, than I 
had been with the temple of Juggernaut." 

Dr. Buchanan's great object in this, as in all his researches, 
was not so much the gratification of personal curiosity, as the 
discovery of useful and important information, with a view to 
the detection and the removal of spiritual and moral evils. The 
suggestion in the published extracts from his journal, as to the 
propriety of an interference on the part of the British govern- 
ment with that of Portugal, for the abolition of the dreadful 
tribunal of the Inquisition, had been happily anticipated, but 
did not render his animated appeal upon that subject super- 
fluous ; while his inquiries relative to the moral and religious 
state of the Romish and Syro-Romish churches, on the coast 
of Malabar, led to efforts to disseminate the holy scriptures, 
for the instruction and illumination of that numerous and long- 5 
neglected body of christians. 

44 In two hours," continues Dr. Buchanan in his letter to 
Mr. Brown, 44 I reached New Goa. The alarm of my inves- 
tigations had gone before me. The English came to inquire 
what I had seen and heard, and I told them all. I staid a day 
or two with them, and embarked in a pattamar (an open boat) 
for Bombay. The wind was contrary, and I was ten days on 
the voyage. I touched at three different places on the Pirate 
coast; Gheria, the celebrated fort of Severndroog, <fcc. One 
day we were driven out to sea, and in considerable danger. 
At length, however, on the 6th of February, I reached Bom- 
bay." 

On his arrival at this Presidency, Dr. Buchanan w T as kindly 
received by Governor Duncan, and took up his abode at the 



296 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

house of Mr. Forbes. He experienced the utmost civility 
from the principal persons of the settlement, and was particu- 
larly gratified by the attentions of Sir James Mackintosh. " I 
passed five hours," he observes in a letter to Colonel Macau- 
lay, " with Sir James in his library. It is uncommonly nu- 
merous and valuable. He is a friend to religion, and professes 
a desire to support me in all useful plans for India." 

Dr. Buchanan had taken with him to Bombay the manuscript 
translation of the four Gospels into the Malayalim language, 
which had been completed by the Syrian bishop and his clergy, 
and transmitted to Colonel Macaulay, intending to print it at 
his own expense, an excellent fount of types having been re- 
cently cut at that place. When Mr. Duncan, however, heard 
of this intention, he intimated his wish that Dr. Buchanan 
would address a letter to the government upon the subject, 
promising to give it his countenance and support. He accord- 
ingly availed himself of this hint, and, in an address to the 
governor in council, briefly detailed the circumstances of his 
visit to Travancore, and its result relative to the version of the 
scriptures into the Malabar language. He also stated that, on 
his arrival at Bombay, he had submitted the translation of the 
four Gospels to the judgment of Mr. Drummond, of that Pre- 
sidency, author of the Malabar Grammar, who had reported 
that he considered it to be a faithful version of the sacred ori- 
ginal, and easily intelligible by the common people. Dr. Bu- 
chanan took the same opportunity of representing to the 
governor in council the importance of a cheap edition of the 
English Bible for the use of the army, and of the English inha- 
bitants, generally, of that country. In reply to this communi- 
cation, the secretary to government informed him that the 
governor in council readily extended his countenance to the 
good work which he was so laudably meditating, and would, 
for that purpose, be disposed to accede to such ulterior mea- 
sures as might tend to promote it; but that the communities of 
Malabar christians to whom he had adverted, being chiefly 
within the jurisdiction of the Presidency of Fort St. George, 
the governor in council felt it to be his duty to transmit thither 
his representations upon that subject. With respect to the 
supply of the English scriptures, the governor in council ex- 
pressed his intention of shortly recommending that part of Dr. 
Buchanan's suggestions to the consideration of the Court of 
Directors, who, he doubted not, would be desirous of ensuring 
to the Europeans at Bombay the edification to which the 
dissemination of the holy scriptures must materially contri- 
bute. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 297 

In consequence of this favourable disposition of the govern- 
ment, Dr. Buchanan drew up an advertisement for a subscrip- 
tion towards defraying the expenses of the printing of the Gos- 
pels in the Malayalim language ; the governor himself profess- 
ing his intention to subscribe, and to lead the way in this 
laudable design. 

" I took no steps, however," says Dr. Buchanan in a letter 
to Colonel Macaulay, dated off Calicut, February 27th, " till 
the last day of my stay at Bombay, when I told Mr. Money 
that I had a delicacy in pressing the subscription when I was 
on the spot, but that I should leave it in his and Mr. Forbes' 
hands, and trust to them for its success. 

" I left a note of instructions with Messrs. Forbes regarding 
the appropriation of the funds ; and they are authorized to pay 
all bills relative to the expense of translating the scriptures 
into the Malayalim language, and of sending learned persons 
to Bombay to superintend the printing, which shall have re- 
ceived your signature. 

" The types are ready, but they have not one Malayalim 
learned native In Bombay. The first thing that I request of 
you is to send round two persons qualified to superintend the 
printing. Mr. Drummond will superintend them. It will be 
expedient that one of the moonshees be a Romish or Syro- 
Romish priest ? for the reasons mentioned in the advertise- 
ment. 

" The prefaces peculiar to the Syriac may be omitted, and it 
may have a general conformity to the Vulgate. 

" Some of the Romish priests will, perhaps, oppose i\\e 
design ; but I have warned the gentlemen at Bombay of that cir- 
cumstance. A Padre L. is Italian instructor in Sir James Mack> 
intosh's family, and assumes consequence. Mr. Duncan told 
me that this priest (who occasionally visits him) had come to 
him in evident alarm, and announced that I was about to de- 
stroy the Inquisition, and to declare to the world that the old 
horrors still exist, which, said he, is not true. I took this op- 
portunity of giving Mr. Duncan some account of my inquiries ; 
when he expressed his approbation fully of my intention, and 
urged me to weaken the Romish interest as much as possible 
in India. It seems the priests have given government some 
trouble lately ; and he has proposed something to the Madras 
Presidency on the subject. 

" It would take a fortnight to detail what passed during my 
fortnight at Bombay, and therefore I must conclude. 

" I have taken my passage in the Charlton, and have secured 
the first officer's cabin, which is large and commodious, for 



298 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

myself and Master Drummond. We have ten ladies onboard, 
and Dr. Pouget of Surat, a man of information. 

" If yon write a note to Point de Galle I shall probably 
receive it. 

11 I have often recommended your going home, and now I 
wish you to stay two or three years. If your health will 
allow this, your stay will accomplish a great object for the 
church of Christ. 

" Your friend, Ribeymar, the chief Inquisitor, received me 
very kindly, and made a feast on the last day but one of my 
stay, at which were present the whole staff of the Santa Casa. 
He said he would answer your letter. The ' thieveless errand' 
I had to visit the Inquisition a second time, was to inquire 
whether the chief Inquisitor had written his letter. 

" I did not touch at Cananore or Mangalore. I was afraid 
of losing the Inquisition and my passage. 

" On my arrival in England, I shall not fail to give you 
some account of affairs, if I mix with men, which I much 
doubt ; for I am tired of fighting, and sigh for quiet and retire- 
ment. 

" I remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

It may be satisfactory to add that the letter from the chief 
Inquisitor to Colonel Macaulay, above referred to, strongly ex- 
pressed his respect for that gentleman, and the pleasure which 
he had received from Dr. Buchanan's visit, notwithstanding the 
freedom of his inquiries and observations. 

In another short communication to Colonel Macaulay about 
the same time, Dr. Buchanan mentions a pleasing mark of 
kindness which had been shown him by one of his friends at 
Calcutta, and informs him of a proposal which he had made 
relative to one of the most stupendous and interesting objects 
of curiosity in India. 

" Mr. Speke has sent a beautiful large quarto Bible after me, 
as a keepsake. He had heard that I complained of my sight 
in reading small print at night. And this is my last communi- 
cation with the learned of Calcutta. Hoc Deus fecit. 

" I have put them on restoring Elephanta at Bombay. I 
found the cavern and figures in a state of progressive annual 
dilapidation. Mr. Money has taken up the subject warmly. 
If government does not execute it, I have proposed a subscrip- 
tion, with a promise of five hundred rupees as soon as the work 
shall commence under a scientific superintendent. I have left 
a memorandum of the subjects of improvement, and re-edifica- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 299 

tion, according to my idea. I have a reason for wishing that 
the Trinity in Unity at Elephanta may remain while this lower 
world exists." 

Dr. Buchanan thus adverts to the same extraordinary remains 
of antiquity, in writing to Mr. Brown : 

" I have visited Elephanta ; a more wonderful work than 
the Pyramids of Egypt. But the works of Providence are yet 
more wonderful ; at least so I should esteem them ; for in 
every region, and in every clime, the loving-kindness of God is 
magnified in my experience. May his grace also be magnified 
in me ! My love to all your family." 

On the 13th of March the Charlton arrived off Point de 
Galle, from which place Dr. Buchanan again wrote a few lines - 
to Mr. Brown. 

" I had intended," he says, " to have published my letter to 
the Archbishop of Goa at this place. But if we do not go on 
shore, I shall have no opportunity. I shall therefore publish 
it at home.* 

" I have just been on board the Piedmontaise frigate, which 
has been captured by the St. Fiorenzo. The Piedmontaise 
lost one hundred and sixty-five men, killed and wounded, and 
exhibited a scene of vast carnage. Captain Hardinge of the 
St. Fiorenzo is killed. 

" I have extensive commissions for sending good books and 
Bibles to Bombay, Malabar, and Ceylon. For, if they have no 
preachers, they must read. 

" All is well on board this ship, and I hope some good will 
be done. 

" With unfeigned prayers for the best of spiritual blessings 
on you and your family, 

" I remain, my dear sir, very affectionately yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

To Colonel Macaulay Dr. Buchanan wrote the next day, as 
follows : 

" My dear Sir, — We have just arrived at this place, and see 
the Bengal fleet ready to sail ; so that I have only time to bid 
you farewell. We staid three days at Columbo ; one of which 
I passed with General Maitland at Mount Lavinia. After long 
and interesting conversations, he was pleased to promise that 
he would recommend to his majesty's government ' an eccle- 
siastical establishment for the island of Ceylon.' By the next 

* On his arrival in England, Dr. Buchanan found it unnecessary to publish 
thi3 letter, the Inquisition at Goa having been abolished. 



300 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

despatch lie will send me, under cover to the Bishop of Lon- 
don, copies of all the papers I wanted relating to the eccle- 
siastical state of the island for the last two centuries. He has 
agreed to support the translation of the scriptures into the Cin- 
galese language. I resided wilh the honourable Mr. Twisleton, 
whom I found well disposed to second all my views. Mr. 
Heywood did more. I think he is disposed to be zealous as a 
pastor to his people. I shall correspond, I hope, with both. 
They are surprised at the Governor's full acquiescence in the 
above important measures. I hope he will not retract. 

" I received your letters for your brother, which I hope to 
deliver into his hands. I am much obliged to you for your in- 
troduction to him. 

" The fleet is now under weigh for St. Helena. Farewell. 

C. Buchanan. 

" H. C. Charlton, Point de Galle, 
" 14 March, 1808." 

Here we also must for the present take our leave of Dr. Bu- 
chanan ; and, while he is pursuing his homeward voyage, re- 
sume our account of various events and circumstances con- 
nected with his history, which occurred during the interval be- 
tween the publication of his ecclesiastical memoir, and his re- 
turn to this country. 



■ 



ffl tnxolvB ot the J&eb, 50r* Buchanan- 
PART III. 

CHAPTER I. 

Of the events referred to at the close of the preceding divi- 
sion of this narrative, the first in order of time relates to the 
determination of the munificent prizes proposed by Dr. Bu- 
chanan to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, in the 
year 1805. It has been already stated, that the time assigned 
for this purpose was the 4th of June, 1807 ; on which day, the 
prize was adjudged at Oxford to the author of these memoirs. 
At Cambridge some circumstances occurred which prevented 
any decision upon the subject ; and which the following letter, 
from the Vice-Chancellor of that university to Dr. Buchanan, 
will sufficiently explain. 

"Reverend Sir, — The sum of five hundred pounds proposed 
by you for the best essay on ' The probable Design of divine 
Providence in subjecting so large a portion of India to the 
British Empire,' &c. was accepted by the university ; and Dr. 
Milner, Dr. Jowett, and Dr. Outram, appointed to read the 
compositions, and decide upon their respective merits. 

" Of all that were sent in within the appointed time, not one 
was deemed worthy of so magnificent a prize. Another came 
a few days after the time, which was unanimously preferred 
to all the rest ; and to which the, examiners would without the 
least hesitation have adjudged the prize, but did not think 
themselves authorized to do so, without your special permis- 
sion, as one of the conditions, the presenting the composition 
within such a time, had not been complied with. 

" The author has since avowed himself to be the Rev. J. W. 
Cunningham, M. A. of St. John's college. 

"Dr. Pearce, Vice-Chancellor at the time when the ex- 
aminers made their report, having heard that you were on 
your passage to England, deferred writing, as he daily ex- 
pected to have a personal interview with you : and thus has 
devolved to me the office of communicating to you the thanks 



302 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of the whole university for your very liberal offer, and their 
regret that your design has not been completely carried into 
execution. 

44 Though I have not the honour of being known to you, 
yet in admiration of your character as the munificent patron 
and promoter of literature, 

44 1 subscribe myself, with the greatest respect, your very 
humble servant, Francis Barnes. 

H St. Peter's College, Cambridge, 
Jan. 19th, 1808." 

It appears that Dr. Buchanan did not feel himself at liberty 
to make any decision upon the point stated in the preceding 
letter, and that the university was unwilling to resume the 
official consideration of the subject. Dr. Buchanan, however, 
offered to bear the expense of printing Mr. Cunningham's 
work. 

On the 10th of May and the 28th of June, 1807, two ser- 
mons were preached before the university of Cambridge, by 
the Rev. Francis Wrangham, of Trinity College, and the Rev. 
John Dudley, of Clare Hall, pursuant to the proposal of Dr. 
Buchanan in the preceding year, on the translation of the scrip- 
tures into the oriental languages. Two discourses on the same 
important subject were preached before the University of Ox- 
ford, on the 8th and 29th of November following, by the Rev. 
Dr. Barrow, of Queen's College, and the Rev. Edward Nares, 
of Merton College. The two former of these sermons were 
published in the course of the year 1807, and the two latter 
early in 1808. All of them, with different degrees of ability 
and eloquence, and by various considerations and arguments, 
supported the duty and expediency of translating the sacred 
records into the principal languages of the East ; and all 
strenuously maintained the general obligation of this country 
to attempt, by every wise and rational method, to promote the 
knowledge of Christianity in India. But the authors of these 
excellent discourses, like those of the first series of prize com- 
positions, though a most able and efficient corps, formed the 
advanced guard only, if the expression may be allowed, of the 
main body which was now hastening to its support, and whose 
united exertions were eventually crowned with the most grati- 
fying and decisive success. 

Dr. Buchanan's memoir on the expediency of an ecclesias- 
tical establishment for British India, produced, as might be ex- 
pected, a considerable sensation on the public mind. The 
subject was not only highly important, but it was new. The 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 303 

world had, indeed, heard much of East Indian commerce, 
policy, and conquests ; but of East Indian religion, little or 
nothing. Now and then the name of a chaplain to the com- 
pany had been mentioned, and, still more rarely, that of a mis- 
sionary to the Hindoos. But, generally speaking, the whole 
subject of the religion of India was little known, and still less 
regarded. Its European population was presumed, without 
thought or inquiry, to be sufficiently provided with the means 
of christian instruction ; and as to the natives, they were con- 
sidered as a race so completely separated from ourselves, arid 
at the same time so religious and even moral in their own way, 
that, with the exception of those who had heard something of 
the Danish mission on the coast of Coromandel, the idea of con- 
verting any considerable number of the Hindoos was either 
treated as altogether unnecessary, and even unjust, or deemed 
in the highest degree visionary and impracticable. The ad- 
mirable writings of Sir William Jones had illustrated the his- 
tory, the antiquities, and the laws of India, and had excited 
some degree of literary and even political interest in favour of 
its native inhabitants ; but the peculiarly christian consideration 
of them and of their country was a topic which had hitherto 
been but incidentally noticed. In this state of things, a work 
like the memoir of Dr. Buchanan, exclusively devoted to this 
momentous and unusual subject, and characterized by great 
boldness, decision, and ability, might naturally be expected to 
produce a powerful and various impression upon the public. 
The more religious part of it hailed this production as present- 
ing facts and arguments of a most important nature, and as 
opening a boundless sphere of exertion to the newly-awakened 
and expanding energies of christian benevolence and zeal ; 
while others, and those a numerous and respectable class, con- 
sidered it as at best a rash and unauthorized publication, and 
even deprecated it as tending to excite dissatisfaction at home 
and disturbance abroad. The growing extent and influence of 
the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the anxiety which 
it had evinced to promote the translation of the scriptures into 
the oriental languages, added materially to the displeasure and 
alarm of the persons last alluded to. 

It was not long before sentiments and feelings of a hos- 
tile nature were publicly avowed ; and it forms a very remark- 
able coincidence of events in either hemisphere, that while 
attempts were, as we have already seen, making at Calcutta 
to arrest, or at least to impede, the progress of scriptural trans- 
lation, and to restrain the efforts of christian missionaries, a 
formidable attack was carrying on in this country, with a view 



304 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

to check the ardour which had been kindled in the minds of 
multitudes in favour of both those great and interesting objects, 
and to provoke authoritative interference of government to ex- 
tinguish at once their hopes of effectually promoting them. 
The attack in question originated in a pamphlet published in 
the month of October, 1807, under the title of " A Letter to 
the Chairman of the East India Company, on the danger of 
interfering in the religious opinions of the natives of India, 
and on the views of the British and Foreign Bible Society, as 
directed to India." This pamphlet, though at first anonymous, 
was shortly after avowed by Thomas Twining, Esq., a senior 
merchant on the Bengal establishment; who announced it as 
only the precursor of a motion, which he intended to bring 
before the Court of East India Proprietors, for expelling from 
Hindostan all the christian missionaries who were then labour- 
ing in that extensive but neglected field ; and for preventing 
the holy scriptures from being circulated in the languages of 
the East. The alarm of this gentleman, which could excite so 
formidable an intention, was no doubt genuine and extreme; 
though, as it has been well observed, the changes which have 
taken place since the date of his publication, both in the reli- 
gious state of India, and in the opinion of the public at large, 
respecting the propagation of Christianity in the East, give to 
his distorted representations the air of irony and satire, rather 
than of grave complaint and serious expostulation. Mr. Twi- 
ning's pamphlet was chiefly composed of partial extracts from 
the reports of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and from 
Dr. Buchanan's memoir, which undoubtedly indicated the wish 
and the design to promote the knowledge of the gospel through- 
out the world, and, amongst other quarters, in which that 
knowledge was particularly needed, throughout the British do- 
minions in India. This laudable intention Mr. Twining inter- 
preted as evidence of a strong disposition to interfere, in some 
violent and unwarrantable method, with the religious opinions 
of the native inhabitants, and as exposing our eastern posses- 
sions to the most imminent and unprecedented danger. 

With respect to the share of the British and Foreign Bible 
Society in this extraordinary charge, it is only necessary to 
refer to the able reply published by the Rev. Mr. Owen, in 
the month of December following, and to that part of his his- 
tory of the society which relates to this controversy. 

The attack of Mr. Twining upon Dr. Buchanan was founded 
partly upon some passages in his memoir, in which he dis- 
cusses, in the most calm and benevolent manner, the duty, the 
practicability, and the advantages of endeavouring to promote 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 305 

Christianity in India ; and partly upon the misconstruction of 
one sentence, in which the acute sensibility of the former gen- 
tleman led him to imagine that Dr. Buchanan, in expressing 
his opinion as to the expediency of coercing the contemptuous 
spirit of the Mohammedans, was desirous of exercising some 
species of compulsion with respect to the religious sentiments 
of our native subjects in general. The term thus used by 
Dr. Buchanan may perhaps be considered as unfortunate, and 
he himself, on being informed of the perversion which it had 
suffered, omitted it in a subsequent edition of his memoir ; but 
even as it originally stood, no one, who had read that publica- 
tion with common attention and candour, could so far mistake 
the whole object of the writer as to suppose him guilty of the^ 
absurdity of recommending that the natives of India should be 
converted to the christian faith by force. 

Notwithstanding the vague and unsatisfactory nature of this 
attempt to arrest the progress of Christianity in India, there 
were not a few who, from the respectability of the quarter 
from which it issued, from ignorance or misconception of the 
subject, from mistaken views of worldly policy, from the want 
of any lively sense of the infinite value of the gospel, and from 
a morbid dread of every thing which was pronounced by per- 
sons affecting local knowledge, as likely to endanger the 
security of our eastern empire, were disposed to favour and 
support it. 

The prejudice and alarm which began to be excited by Mr. 
Twining's pamphlet were increased by the publication of one, 
and subsequently of a second, by Major Scott Waring, who 
inveighed with even greater warmth and violence against the 
Bible Society, the missionaries in Bengal, and the memoir of 
Dr. Buchanan; and, in addition to the misrepresentation of his 
sentiments, which has been just referred to, discovered in his 
benevolent recommendation of adopting destitute Hindoo chil- 
dren, with a view to their education in christian principles, an- 
other proof of his wish to introduce a system of compulsion 
in India ! 

But the exertions of the friends of religion were successful 
in checking the rising spirit of jealousy and opposition occa- 
sioned by these publications ; so that on the 23d of December, 
when the Court of Proprietors met at the India House, Mr. 
Twining found so little encouragement to propose his threat- 
ened motion, that he withdrew it, and the Court, in conse- 
quence, adjourned. 

The important controversy, however, which had been thus 
begun, did not terminate here. Early in the year 1808, it 

cc2 



306 MEMOIRS OF DR. BtTCHANAff, 

was renewed by the publication of a pamphlet entitled, a 
" Vindication of the Hindoos from the aspersions of the Rev. 
C. Buchanan, M. A., with a refutation of his arguments for an 
Ecclesiastical Establishment in British India. By a Bengal 
Officer. " This extraordinary publication was distinguished 
by the bold avowal that the Hindoo system little needs the 
ameliorating hand of the christian dispensation to render its 
votaries a sufficiently correct and moral people, for all the use- 
ful purposes of civilized society. Its military author, there- 
fore, endeavoured strongly to maintain the excellence of the 
moral and religious doctrines of the Hindoos, and of the moral 
character of the Hindoos themselves. With much pretension, 
however, to local knowledge, he, in fact, betrayed much local 
ignorance, and with some partial information as to the specula- 
tive system of the Brahminical religion and morals, great dis- 
regard to its practical influence, and total deficiency in all large 
and general reasonings. 

The " Bengal Officer," like his predecessors in this war- 
fare, dealt much in general abuse of Dr. Buchanan's statements 
in his memoir, but adduced no one definite proof of their in- 
correctness. And here it may be right to observe that, while 
a few expressions in that work relative to the apparent absence 
of religious views and feelings in the Europeans, generally, 
resident in India, might be considered as somewhat too strong- 
ly and indiscriminately hazarded, no well-grounded objection 
to his representations upon any point connected with his main 
argument, was ever substantiated. So convinced was Dr. Bu- 
chanan himself of his correctness and integrity as to the state- 
ments contained in his memoir, that in a note to his letter to 
the Court of Directors from Calcutta, in December, 1807, 
which has been already mentioned, he ventured to make the 
following appeal upon this subject : 

" The Memoir of the expediency of an Ecclesiastical Esta- 
blishment for British India has now been in the hands of our 
Indian governments for a year and a half, and I have not heard 
that any one fact or deduction contained in that volume has 
been disputed or disproved ; which, in this country, where the 
merits of such a work can be best understood, and where only 
just information of the local circumstances therein detailed ca,n 
be obtained, and where, moreover, there are fourteen weekly 
publications to animadvert on that information, may be consi- 
dered as some testimony to its general accuracy, as well as 
some acknowledgment of the necessity of the great measure 
therein proposed." 

The labours of the friends and advocates of diffusing chris- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 307 

tian knowledge in India, more than kept pace with those of its 
adversaries. Amongst others, the venerable Bishop Porteus,* 
wrote some remarks on Mr. Twining' s pamphlet, which were 
published anonymously, and which, in a strain of animated 
and well-directed irony, defended the measures of the British 
and Foreign Bible Society, and what his lordship termed " Dr. 
Buchanan's invaluable memoir." 

Early in the spring appeared Mr. Cunningham's " Essay on 
the duty, means, and consequences of introducing the christian 
religion among the native inhabitants of the British dominions 
in the East;" forming a part of the work which he had sub- 
mitted to the University of Cambridge, as a candidate for Dr. 
Buchanan's prize. The main argument of this able and ela-. 
borate publication was founded upon the malignant and perni- 
cious nature of the Hindoo superstition ; which was here so 
completely developed, as not only to form a decisive answer 
to the statements of such writers as the Bengal Officer, but to 
prove the obligation of Great Britain to communicate that di- 
vine system of faith and morals, by which alone the civil and 
religious character of the natives of India can be effectually 
improved. 

Mr. Cunningham's essay was followed by the prize disser- 
tation of the author of these memoirs ; of which he will only 
observe, that he will ever esteem it one of the chief privileges 
and blessings of his life to have contributed, in whatever de- 
gree, to the accomplishment of the great end which the ad- 
mirable proposer of the subject had in view ; the infinite im- 
portance of which is confirmed by every year's experience, 
and cannot fail ere long to be universally acknowledged. 

One other work remains to be mentioned of singular excel- 
lence and authority ; and of which it has been justly remarked, 
that had it appeared in an earlier stage of the controversy, it 
would have superseded every other. This was the production 
of Lord Teignmouth ; who, together with the principles of 
christian piety and benevolence, brought to the consideration 
of the weighty subject in question the correct and extensive 
local knowledge and the practical wisdom and experience 
which were the result of the high stations he had occupied in 
India. The temperate and dignified manner in which his 
lordship discussed the various topics connected with the con- 
troversy before us, deserve the highest admiration ; nor is it 
too much to assert, that his " considerations on the practica- 
bility, policy, and obligation of communicating to the natives 

* See Owen's History of the British and Foreign Bible Society, vol. i. p. 350. 



308 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of India the knowledge of Christianity," were not only con- 
clusive of the temporary contest in which they appeared, but 
will remain a standing testimony to the duty of a christian na- 
tion towards its ignorant and unconverted subjects. 

It would be unjust to close this brief enumeration of the prin- 
cipal writers in this controversy, without mentioning the emi- 
nent services of one periodical publication, distinguished by 
the zeal and ability with which it originally embraced and 
steadily supported the great cause of Christianity in India. It 
is scarcely necessary to add the name of " the Christian Ob- 
server;" which, whether in the examination of the produc- 
tions on either side of the question, or in original communica- 
tions, may justly claim a very considerable share of the praise 
which belongs to its successful termination. 

Thus, as in the instance of the rising opposition at Calcutta, 
the storm which threatened to overwhelm the efforts of chris- 
tian benevolence in this country to diffuse the knowledge of 
the gospel in the East, was quickly dispersed ; and the advo- 
cates of this important and salutary measure were for the pre- 
sent permitted to pursue their peaceful and charitable course 
without farther interruption or disturbance.* 



*The following interesting statements in relation to the subject of ihis chap- 
ter, are from a sketch of the life of Lord Teignmouth, in the Christian Observer 
for May, 1834. 

"Many years before the general discussion of the question of unbarring In- 
dia to christian light at the renewal of the Company's Charter, his lordship 
and his friends were zealously endeavouring to prepare the way, in private 
and official intercourse, for that great consummation ; but it was not till the 
year 1808 that he was known to have come forward as an author upon the 
subject; and, even then, his publication was anonymous, under the title of 
1 Considerations on the Practicability, Policy, and Obligation of communicating 
to the Natives of India the Knowledge of Christianity, with Observations on 
the Prefatory Remarks of Major Scott Waring ; by a late Resident in Bengal.' 
We have it in our power, however, to show, that even two years before the 
publication of this pamphlet, his mind was actively at work upon the question, 
by informing our readers of one of our literary secrets, — that it was his lordship 
who w 7 rote the Review in the Christian Observer, in 1806, of Dr. Buchanan's 
1 Expediency of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India, both as a 
Means of perpetuating the Christian Religion among our own Countrymen, and 
a9 a Foundation for the ultimate Civilization of the Natives.' His lordship 
thought, indeed, that Dr. Buchanan had advanced somewhat beyond the bounds 
of prudence and practicability ; and few persons were there at that time — not, 
we believe, even Mr. Wilberforceor Mr. Grant — who did not feel some hesita- 
tion respecting the large plans of Dr. Buchanan; and, even Dr. Buchanan 
himself, the Luther of India, whose zealous writings and unwearied personal 
exertions, added to his munificent premiums for publications upon this momen- 
tous question, did more to enlighten and stimulate the public mind than the la- 
bours of any other individual, did not venture to adopt on his title-page a 
stronger word than » civilization,' as applied to the natives of India. The idea 
of * conversion' would have been accounted insanity. Looking back, there- 
fore, at the circumstances of the times, and considering Lord Teignmouth's 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



CHAPTER II. 



309 



While the controversy, of which a brief view has been 
given, was thus carrying on, the person, whose zeal and ac- 
tivity had principally given occasion to it, was quietly pursu- 
ing his voyage from India to his native country. Of the in- 
cidents which occurred during the five months which inter- 
vened between Dr. Buchanan's departure from Point de Galle 
in Ceylon to his arrival in England about the middle of August, 
no memorial appears to have been preserved. The following 
extracts from letters to several of his friends, though they fail 
in expressing his emotions on revisiting his native shores, 
after an absence of twelve years, during which he had been 
employed in so important and honourable a manner, and had 
experienced such vicissitudes of joy and sorrow, of repose and 
toil, of gratification and trial, will yet afford some notices of his 
proceedings. They will serve also to show his filial affection, 
his wish for retirement, yet his desire of usefulness as a min- 
ister of the gospel, and his lively interest in the progress of 
true religion in this country. 



official habits, his characteristic caution, his serious responsiblity, and his prac- 
tical knowledge of the obstacles to be surmounted, we are far from being sur- 
prised that he thought some of Dr. Buchanan's statements over-sanguine : on 
the contrary, we are rather inclined to express our admiration and gratitude 
that his lordship was so far in advance of most of his oriental contemporaries, 
even including men of undoubted piety and zeal, as to have penned the senti- 
ments contained in that review. At that period not only was India almost her- 
metically sealed against christian missionaries, but even the circulation of the 
holy scriptures, without note or comment, was opposed by the Indian govern- 
ment, both at home and abroad, as a proceeding which involved great danger; 
and as to sending out a bishop to Calcutta, such a step, it was urged, would 
cause a general revolt of the natives, and end in a deluge of bloud, and in our 
certain expulsion from the country. We may look back upon these astounding 
predictions, after more than a quarter of a century, without dismay ; but, at the 
time they were uttered, they created strong impressions of alarm. Vet, tri- 
umphing over the general prejudice which then prevailed, especially among 
gentlemen who had passed much of their lives in the East, we find our respect- 
ed correspondent and co-adjutor expressing his extreme anxiety for a ' suffi- 
cient' ecclesiastical establishment in India; hoping that it would be 'speedily 
and effectually supplied ;' contending for the wisdom, duty, and safety of that 
great experiment, combating the vague apprehensions which were afloat, and 
fully concurring with Dr. Buchanan, not only in that part of his proposition 
which related to the European population, but also as to 4 the practicability of 
civilizing the Hindoos, by instructing them in the truths of Christianity, and the 
undeniable policy of the attempt.' His lordship, in that review, expressed 
strongly his opinion, that nothing will ever i improve the morals' of the people 
of India but • the principles of the christian religion.' " 



310 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

His first visit, on his arrival in London, was to the house of 
Mr. Newton; " but judge, " said lie, to one of his correspon- 
dents, " what were my feelings, when I was informed that my 
venerable friend had entered into rest some months before. I 
next proceeded to CadelTs, expecting to have had the ' Chris- 
tian Institution' put into my hands ; but here also I was dis- 
appointed." 

Thus deprived of two of the principal objects of his imme- 
diate attention, Dr. Buchanan turned to others of a more private 
and domestic nature. 

" London, 20th August, 1808. 

" I arrived here two days ago, and was happy to hear that 
you and your family were well. I go down to North wold in 
a day or two, whence I shall proceed to Scotland to see my 
aged mother; and on my return I hope to pay you a visit in 
Cornwall. 

" I have enjoyed good health on board ship. I have no 
thoughts of ever returning to India again. My wish is, to take 
a cure of souls, and to grow old preaching the gospel ; and I 
look out for retirement. The chairman and his deputy were 
desirous that I should conciliate the directors, by waiting on 
them individually in the usual manner. I have accordingly 
paid my respects to them all. It seems, that on Wednesday 
next there is to be a grand discussion on Indian missions. Lord 
Minto has sent home my letter to him, to the court, and this 
is the subject which calls for its attention on Wednesday. 

" In the mean time I dismiss it from my mind altogether, 
being careless of the result, as it affects myself. I read no 
pamphlets, and scarcely know what has been doing. Nor do 
I wish to know any thing, till I have seen my family in Eng- 
land and Scotland, and have enjoyed for a time their tranquil 
society," 

"Northwold, Norfolk, 30th Aug. 1808. 

" I received your letter as I was leaving London. Your 
affectionate expressions well accord with your long proved 
kindness to me and my family. It would indeed give me a 
sincere delight to visit you at this time with my two little 
girls ; but I have not lived with my mother these twenty 
years, a fortnight excepted. I have a long arrear of filial affec- 
tion and personal attention to bring up, and must first fulfil this 
duty. 

" I shall probably stay over the winter in Scotland. There 
is an Episcopal church in the vicinity of my mother's house, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 311 

where I may exercise my ministry, and where I may possibly 
remain, if 1 should find my labours useful. 

11 Charlotte and Augusta are so much grown, that I should 
scarcely have known them. The natural feelings of children 
to a father, and of a father to his children, have been displayed 
in a remarkable manner in many instances, and with such 
powerful sympathy, as has been delightful even to the be- 
holders." 

" Stamford, 12th Sept. 1808. 

11 Much more good has been done by the proposition of the 
literary prizes than I ever expected. 

" Wherever I go, some commotion prevails ; a conflict be- - 
tween light and darkness, which was not known when I left 
England twelve years ago." 

" Glasgow, 28th Sept. 1808. 

" We arrived here on the 20th instant, and found my mother 
and family in fine health, both in body and spirit. We stopped 
on Sunday at Stamford, on Wednesday at York, and on Sun- 
day at Carlisle. The Dean of Carlisle, with whom we dined, 
lifted up his voice against the races for the first time. He had 
long been oppressed in spirit on the subject; and he devoted 
his last day of preaching this season to the consideration of it. 
The cathedral was crowded, and he preached the word with 
great energy and eloquence. 

" Mr. S has written to me, hoping I am not offended at 

his interfering with the publication of the book. I have an- 
swered, that on the contrary I consider his and Mr. G 's 

interference as the act of christian friends ; that I doubt not 
they acted for the best, according to their judgment ; but that 
I can form no opinion on the subject myself, as I have not yet 
read the publications of the controversy." 

When the attachment of Dr. Buchanan to the plan developed 
in the work just alluded to is considered, his acquiescence in 
the judgment of his friends affords a striking proof of his diffi- 
dence and humility. 

" On Sunday last," Dr. Buchanan again writes from Glas- 
gow, " I preached in the English church here to a crowded 
auditory. The Presbyterians come to hear, notwithstanding 
the organ. Both in England and Scotland a more tolerant 
spirit seems to pervade the different sects than formerly. 

"In a few days I propose to leave Scotland, and to proceed 
with my little girls to Bristol. If I stay any longer at Glas- 
gow, I fear I shall never get away." 



312 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Dr. Buchanan arrived at Bristol on the 21st of November, 
and on the 25th gave the following account of his journey from 
the North. 

11 I returned from Scotland by the way of Newcastle and 
Durham, after passing a week at Edinburgh. 1 was frequently 

with Professor , with whom I discussed the Edinburgh 

Review, which I told him was denominated in the middle 
counties of England, 4 The Northern Blast.' He assured me 
that he had now nothing to do with that work, directly or in- 
directly ; and seemed to lament that it was conducted with so 
little judgment. I asked him whether it was too late to re- 
trieve its character ; I was anxious for the fame of my coun- 
trymen ; the bishop of Durham had already renounced it, and 
his example would soon be followed by others. The re- 
viewers observed in defence, that most of the obnoxious articles 

have come from England. told me that it was with the 

greatest reluctance the editor admitted the Review on Indian 
missions, and that he wrote a long note in qualification of the 
text. 

11 I passed two days at Bishop's Auckland. The bishop 
entered into various subjects of religion and literature with 
great spirit. He told me it was true he had forbidden the 
Edinburgh Review to lie on his table. He did not think it 
right to sanction a work which had so grossly insulted re- 
ligion. Some other gentlemen had expelled it on the same 
ground. 

" I took an opportunity of mentioning to his lordship, when 
he was asking what appeared strange to me after a twelve years 
absence, that I thought the bishops seemed to have too little 
correspondence with each other on the interests of religion ; 
that they were like twenty-four insulated kings or barons in 
their castles, while the enemy were scouring the plains, and 
did not sufficiently encourage men of learning and piety to 
come near them, and offer their counsel on subjects connected 
with the church at home and abroad. 

"I visited Mr. Cecil yesterday, who is close by me 

here. He is much better, and is very anxious that I should 
write the life of Swartz. I was happy to hear him talk with 
such spirit." 

For the various excellencies of the eminent minister of 
Christ, whose name occurs in the preceding sentence, and who 
was then near the close of his earthly career, the author of 
these memoirs gladly seizes the opportunity of testifying his 
affectionate veneration. In a subsequent letter Dr. Buchanan 
adds another brief notice of this admirable man : 



MEMOIRS OP DR. BUCHANAN. 313 

14 Notwithstanding his weakness, he seems to feel a singular 
pleasure in hearing me talk on oriental subjects, and the diffu- 
sion of the gospel generally. It seems he once preached a 
sermon* which led him to some inquiry on these subjects ; for 
most people, I perceive, know little about them. 

44 You notice the spirit so hostile to you among your rela- 
tions. If it be merely on account of the gospel, there is 
nothing more to be said or thought of it than this, k That the 
reproach of Christ is great riches; and that to you it is given 
not only to believe, but to suffer for his sake.' 

44 I have been called to preach a charity sermon for the Bris- 
tol Infirmary. And they now wish me to preach the annual 
sermon at Mr. Biddulph's church, for 4 Missions to Africa and 
the East.' They think more highly of me than they ought to ' 
think ; but, being now somewhat of a public character, my tes- 
timony is acceptable. But my chief employment is at St. 
Mary Redcliffe. 

44 1 have no thoughts of going to India. There is no pecu- 
liar sphere of usefulness for me there ; nor is it probable that 
any will offer. As for my place of residence for the remain- 
ing years of my life, I have no partiality. I care not where I 
live or go. It sufficeth that I am employed for the present." 

In the course of the autumn in this year, Dr. Buchanan re- 
ceived two letters from his friend, Mr. Brown, dated about two 
months after his own departure from India ; the following ex- 
tracts from which are strongly expressive of that excellent 
man's esteem for his late valuable colleague : 

44 1 begin/' he says, 44 with acknowledging the receipt of all 
your lexers from Columbo, Cochin, Tellicherry, Goa, Bom- 
bay, and, lastly, from Point de Galle. The news all good. 
Your journey prosperous, and promising the best fruits. 

44 Well ! you have fought your fight, and finished with the 
Archbishop of Goa, and are gone. May peace and safety 
attend all your paths ; and may the providence of God pre- 
serve you to embrace your children, and to do good in the 
world ! 

44 1 have the best accounts of Martyn, Sabat, and Mirza. 
The Persian and Hindostanee are both ready. You will see 
we want a press for Martyn. 

44 1 send you a copy of the archbishop's letter. No name 
was upon it. The inscription on the cover was 4 The Vice- 
Provost,' and it was brought to me. 

* This was Mr. Cecil's able and impressive sermon before the Church Mis- 
■sionary Society, in the year 1803. 

Dd 



314 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

14 Since you left me, war has been in all my gates. But I 
have nothing to lose ; neither fame nor money. Let them 
burn me, if they please. I shall make as good a fire as Brah- 
min women ; two of whom were burnt last week near us ; one 
before my eyes. I get disgusted and indignant on these occa- 
sions, and am always weighed down for some days after wit- 
nessing such horrible sacrifices to Moloch. Surely the 
4 Christian Institution' will demolish this most diabolical reli- 
gion. 

44 1 now send you two copies of Lord Minto's college speech. 
Mr. Harrington, to whom I had sent the report of the Chinese 
examination, took it to his lordship. He doubted at first whe- 
ther all this was real. To be certain, he sent Dr. Leyden to 
me, to whom the whole was rehearsed, and who gave 4 con- 
firmation strong' to the report. Lord M. made several inqui- 
ries of me, and seemed pleased with what had been done. 

44 While I am writing I have received a long account of the 

particulars of 's death, from his son. His end was most 

blessed. The victory was complete. He was surprised to be 
told he was dying, but it did not discompose him for a mo- 
ment. His language was, 4 Whom have I in heaven but thee V 
He broke out in Dr. Watts' translation of these words, which 
were his last. I shall find, a week or two hence some inter- 
esting things to say in a funeral sermon, which 1 am requested 
to preach, and should have preached, if not requested; for 
these are our best occasions for working on the dead mass, and 
you were always diligent to improve them. 

44 1 used to think you would make some improvement of my 
death. It must now be left to Limrick. Let him say, Alas ! 
my brother, and I shall be satisfied. I have been a brother to 
him, and am yet, and shall be when I die, if I die before 
him. I shall have something to add, perhaps, but I say here, 
yours, affectionately, D. Brown." 

The letter to which Mr. Brown refers in the preceding ex- 
tract was from the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and it is here 
added, as a proof of his grace's approbation of the important 
measure which it was the great object of Dr. Buchanan's Ec- 
clesiastical Memoir to recommend, and of his anxiety to pro- 
mote its accomplishment. 

" Lambeth Palace, Oct. 3d, 1807. 
44 Reverend Sir, — When I look back on the date which the 
manuscript transmitted through your means, from the college 
of Fort William, to the archiepiscopal library at Lambeth, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 315 

bears upon its earliest pages, I am fearful lest I should appear 
to yourself, and to those with whom you are connected, insen- 
sible to the value of this splendid gift, or strangely negligent 
of common courtesy. At the time it arrived, I was anxiously 
employed in communicating with those, as well in office as 
out of office, who were best acquainted with the wants of the 
Protestant Church in British India, and best able to supply 
them. If, in my answer to your letter, written in the first 
pages of the Koran, I could have reported some progress in 
the great work of regulating the church in India, I should have 
felt that in fulfilling my duty I had made the best return in my 
power for the munificence I had experienced from you. Un- 
der this expectation, I have been led imperceptibly to a longer/ 
silence than ought to have been permitted ; and I am now 
obliged to break it, without making that report, which would 
have been its best apology. Nevertheless, sir, I will not de- 
spair of ultimate success. The object we have in view is a 
reasonable object, and must not be lightly abandoned. It is 
not the spirit of making proselytes by which we are actuated, 
but the sober wish to maintain, in its purity and strength, Chris- 
tianity among christians. If it shall please God, through these 
means, the best, I had almost said the only means, in the hands 
of man, to spread the blessings of Christianity, it is a result 
devoutly to be wished, but not impatiently pursued. Expe- 
rience may have taught us that they are blessings that will not 
bear to be crudely and prematurely obtruded ; they must be 
left to grow at their ease, and to ripen out of the character, 
and discipline, and doctrine of that church which is planted in 
India, and which is necessarily the object of daily and curious 
observation. 

" I have the honour to be, reverend sir, your faithful, humble 
servant, C. Cantuar." 

The speech of Lord Minto, copies of which Mr. Brown 
mentions that he had transmitted to Dr. Buchanan, was that 
which his lordship delivered on the 21st of February, 1808, 
after the annual disputations in the college of Fort William ; 
and in which, amidst his testimony to the progress of oriental 
literature in that institution, he took occasion to advert in terms 
of high praise to the proficiency in the Chinese language of 
the missionaries at Serampore, which must have been pecu- 
liarly gratifying to Dr. Buchanan, as the early friend of that 
most important pursuit. 

" I must not," said his lordship, " omit to commend the 
zealous and persevering labours of Mr. Lassar, and of those 



316 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

learned and pious persons associated with him, who have ac- 
complished for the future benefit, we may hope, of that im- 
mense and populous region, Chinese versions, in the Chinese 
character, of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; 
throwing open that precious mine, with all its religious and 
moral treasures, to the largest associated population in the 
world." 

To this liberal and enlightened tribute of applause to the 
importance of the Chinese translation of the scriptures, Mr. 
Brown, in the second of his letters to Dr. Buchanan, added 
the gratifying and unexpected intelligence, that Lord Minto 
supported the translations, generally, and had subscribed to 
some of the works then carrying on at the Serampore press. 

The following extract from one of Dr. Buchanan's letters to 
a friend, in January, 1809, on the dangerous illness of a near 
relative, as well as the tenor of the concluding remarks, shows 
the prevailing piety of his mind : 

"I sincerely sympathize with you on this affliction; but the 
excellent accounts you give of her spiritual state must be your 
chief consolation. Happy for her that her affliction hath been 
sanctified ! Whatever be the event, there is great room for 
praise and thanksgiving. I feel this the more from having 
just heard that a beautiful young lady, of good family and 
great fortune, has finished her course at the Wells here, and 
died without a ray of hope. Blessed, then, is your family, 
which hath ' this hope,' in the midst of a perverse generation. 
May it be your hope unto the end ! 

" All is well in India : only Bonaparte is expected. And, if 
the news of this day be true, he may be expected. But 'the 
Lord reigneth, be the earth never so unquiet.' I behold the 
tumult of the present scene with much tranquillity. But we 

must be in the circumstances in which Miss now is, to be 

able to view it aright, and to see the utter insignificance of 
things temporal, when weighed in the scale with things 
eternal." 

In a letter to Mr. Brown, about the same time, the following 
passages occur: 

"People imagine that I am meditating war. Nothing is 
farther from my thoughts. I am, at present, reading the Bible, 
and studying some subjects for sermons to poor people. 

" I stand remote from the world. I do not even know 
whether the Court of Directors pays my furlough allowance. 
But on this, and other subjects, I shall be able to say more 
after I have been a year in the country. 

"The Chinese printing" (which had been sent to him by 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 317 

Mr. Brown) " is very admirable. You are cheaper, too, than I 
was, when I gave four annas for every character. 

" The arrival of Mr. Thompson will brighten your prospects. 
I told Mrs. M. her prayers would bring good men. 

" Mr. B., here, is a most useful evangelist. I shall enclose 
to you an account of the death of his daughter, aged fourteen. 
He lost four children in a year, and preached nobly to the 
hearts of his large congregation during the whole period. So 
you see good men have their trials on the banks of the Severn, 
as well as on the Ganges. 

" You will regret to hear that Henry Kirk White was first 
proposed to Mr. Thornton," (meaning for his own benefaction 
to some student at the University,) " and," for reasons which 
do not appear, "was rejected." 

On the 26th of February Dr. Buchanan preached his sermon 
entitled " The Star in the East," at the parish church of St. 
James, Bristol, for the benefit of the Church Missionary So- 
ciety. This was the first of that series of able and well- 
directed efforts by which its excellent author, in pursuance of 
the resolution he had formed in India, endeavoured to cherish 
and extend the interest he had already excited for the promo- 
tion of Christianity in the east. The object of this sermon 
was to detail some of the more prominent proofs that " the 
day" had at length begun to " dawn," and " the day-star to 
arise," on the benighted inhabitants of Asia ; and its peculiar 
excellence consisted in the strength and simplicity with which 
these evidences were exhibited. 

After stating the labours and the success of the Church of 
Rome, and of the Protestant missionaries, more particularly 
of the venerable Swartz, Dr. Buchanan introduced the highly 
interesting account of the martyrdom of Abdallah, and the 
conversion of Sabat ; which can never be read without the 
deepest emotions of admiration and pity. 

The subsequent apostacy of Sabat from the faith which he 
once oppeared to have so cordially embraced, while it affords 
a lamentable proof of the depravity of the human heart, does 
not, in the slightest degree, affect either the truth of the narra- 
tive, or the object to which it was applied, of illustrating the 
divine efficacy of the gospel. That will still remain the same, 
whether the unhappy apostate should, as there seems to be 
some faint reason to hope,* once more be "renewed to repent- 

* In a letter published in the Asiatic Journal for January last, from a Prince 
of Wales' Island Gazette, this wretched man refers to Dr. Buchanan's account 
of him in the "Star in the East," and affirms that he has never ceased to be- 
lieve the truth of the christian religion. 

Dd2 



318 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ance," or become the final victim of impenitence and unbelief. 
Nor ought the deplorable defection of this once promising con- 
vert to be adduced as any proof of the want of judgment or 
penetration in Dr. Buchanan, and others,* who, in common 
with him, trusted to the fair appearance and the striking evi- 
dences of sincerity which this learned, but deluded, Arabian 
manifested during several years ; though it may, and undoubt- 
edly ought to, teach a lesson, both of caution to the christian 
minister, and of humility and self-distrust to the professed 
convert, not only in the East, but in every quarter of the 
world.! 



* Particularly the late Rev. Henry Martyn. 

t Whether the faint hope above expressed, respecting Sabat, has ever been 
realized can only be known by the revelations of a future day, when the se- 
crets of all hearts shall be disclosed. The following particulars of his subse- 
quent career have been related by Colonel Maclnnes, a British officer, and 
appear in an appendix to a French translation of Martyn's life, published at 
Geneva : 

"< I became personally acquainted with Sabat at Penang, a little after his 
public abjuration of Christianity at Bengal. This deplorable act was followed 
by an unsuccessful trading voyage to Rangoon, after which he re-appeared at 
Penang, with the wreck of his fortune, in hope of better success. 

" ' During his stay in this island, I had the opportunity of knowing him tho- 
roughly. I saw in him a disappointed man, uneasy and agitated in his mind. 
He attributed all the distress of his soul to the grief he felt for having aban- 
doned Christianity. He desired to receive again this holy religion, as the only 
means of reconciling himself with God. He declared that he had not had a 
moment's peace since (at the instigation of Satan) he had published his attack 
upon Revelation, an attack which he called his ' bad icorfr.' He told me, also, 
that what had led him to this fatal step, was the desire of revenging himself 
upon an individual to whom he thought an attack upon Christianity would be 
more painful than any personal injury: but he had no sooner executed this de- 
testable project (he added) than he fell a horror of the action, and now he only 
valued his life that he might be able to undo the pernicious tendency of his 
book, which he thought would be great in Mahometan countries. He never 
spoke of Mr. Martvn without the most profound respect, and shed tears of grief 
whenever he recalled how severely he had tried the patience of this faithful 
servant of God. He mentioned several anecdotes to show with what extraoi-- 
dinary sweetness Martyn had borne his numerous provocations. ' He was less 
a man (he said) than an angel from heaven.' His apostacy had excited much 
observation in the East.' " 

•' ■ During his stay at Penang, this island was visited by a Malay prince, 
Jouhuroolalim, king of the neighbouring state of Acheen, (in the island of Su- 
matra,) from whence a revolt of his subjects had obliged him suddenly to flee/' 
- Sabat offered his services to Jouhuroolalim, with no other end, as he assured 
me, than to discover and profit by any favourable opportunity that should offer 
of introducing Christianity amongst the Acheenois, a nation which is particu- 
larly intractable and ferocious, and many of whom were cannibals. The im- 
posing and even engaging manners which he could assume, his reputation as a 
man of talents, and the high esteem which the Indian nations have for Arabian 
auxiliaries, on account of their courage and intrepidity, procured him a favour- 
able reception from Jouhuroolalim, in a moment when adversity had estranged 
from him all his European favourites. Sabat accompanied this prince to 
Acheen, where he soon gained such an ascendency as to manage all public 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 319 

The conclusion, however, which was drawn by Dr. Bu- 
chanan from the various facts he had enumerated, and which 
he afterwards strengthend by some other encouraging consider- 
ations, was sufficiently established, that the time for diffusing 
Christianity in the East was come. The remainder, therefore, 
of this interesting discourse was occupied with an earnest and 
persuasive appeal to his hearers on the duty of cordially sup- 
porting this important measure ; which is so appropriate to 
every period, and contains so valuable a testimony to the na- 
ture and necessity of spiritual religion, that it can scarcely be 
deemed irrelevant to introduce a part of it in this place : 

44 Behold, then, my brethren, the great undertaking for the 
promotion of which you are now assembled. If it were in the' 
power of this assembly to diffuse the blessings of religion over 
the whole world, would it not be done? Would not all nations 
be blessed ? You perceive that some take a lively interest in 
this subject, while others are less concerned. What is the 
reason of this difference ? It is this : every man who hath felt 
the influence of religion on his own heart will desire to extend 
the blessing to the rest of mankind : whereas he who hath 
lived without concern about the gospel of Christ will not be 
solicitous to communicate to others a gift which he values not 
himself. At the same time, perhaps, he is not willing to be 
thought hostile to the work. But there is no neutrality here. 
4 He that is not with Christ,' in maintaining his kingdom on 
earth, 4 is against him.' Every one of us is now acting a part 
in regard to this matter, for which he must give an account 
hereafter. There is no one, however peculiar he may reckon 
his situation or circumstances, who is exempted from this re- 
sponsibility. 

44 Begin then at this time the solemn inquiry, not merely 
into the general truth of Christ's religion, but into its divine 
and converting power. You observe that in this discourse I 
have distinguished between the name of Christianity and the 
thing. For it seems there are some persons in this country, 
who, having departed from the principles of our reformation, 
admit the existence of of the Spirit of God, yet deny his in- 



affiirs, and was regarded by his adversaries as the greatest obstacle to their 
final triumph. But, as months rolled away without producing any decisive 
event, and the issue of the struggle appeared still doubtful and distant, Sabat 
resolved to retire. Whilst occupied in effecting his retreat, he fell into the 
hands of his rival, Syfoolalim, who gave orders that he should he strictly im- 
prisoned on board a vessel, and, after having made him suffer severely, he was 
tied up in a sack and thrown into the sea.' 



320 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

jlvence ; and who agree not with the apostle Paul, that the 
4 gospel cometh not in word only,' hut 4 in power, and in the 
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. ' 

44 The great author of our religion hath himself delivered the 
doctrine in the most solemn manner to the world. 4 Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot 
see the kingdom of God.' Verily , verily ; it is an undoubted 
truth, an unchangeable principle of the heavenly dispensation, 
that, except a man be renewed in his mind by the Spirit of 
God, he shall not have power even to see or behold the king- 
dom of God. If our Saviour hath delivered any one doctrine 
of the gospel more clearly than another, it is this of a spiritual 
conversion ; and the demonstration of its truth is found in all 
lands where the true gospel is known. Christians, differing 
in almost every thing else, yet agree in the doctrine of a change 
of heart, through faith in Christ. This is, in fact, that which 
distinguishes the religion of God in Asia from the religions of 
men. In every part of the earth, where I myself have been, 
this doctrine has been proclaimed as the hope of the sinner, and 
the glory of the Saviour." 

The sermon from which the preceding extract has been 
taken was immediately published, and was not only univer- 
sally circulated, but generally productive of a corresponding 
feeling in the minds of its numerous readers. 

The services of Dr. Buchanan not being permanently re- 
quired at Bristol, he was desirous of obtaining some settled 
employment; and, with the humility and anxiety to be actively 
engaged in his Master's service which had ever distinguished 
him, would gladly have retired to some country curacy. 44 1 
wish, too," he observed to a friend, 44 to be fixed for a time, if it 
were but to organize a library ;" having brought scarcely any 
books with him from India, except the Bible. 

In the meantime he projected a journey to the University 
of Oxford, where he arrived at the beginning of April, and re- 
mained about ten days. His object in this visit was to look 
into the libraries, and to compare and collate certain oriental 
manuscripts. He appears to have been received with much 
civility by the heads of houses, and to have been gratified by 
the society of several members of the university. During his 
stay, he preached at the parish churches of St. Martin and St. 
Giles. 

It might perhaps have been expected that the university 
would have conferred some mark of its respect on Dr. Bu- 
chanan, as the munificent patron and promoter of oriental litera- 
ture and religion. The University of Cambridge had not, in- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 



321 



deed, as yet set the example of such a step, though it took the 
first appropriate opportunity of so doing. It may, however, 
be regretted that no proposal of any similar honour should 
have been subsequently made at this place ; though Dr. Bu- 
chanan himself was so far from any feeling of this nature, that, 
in a letter to one of his friends shortly after his visit to both 
universities, he observed that they had been very kind to him, 
and had done every thing that he wished. 

A few extracts from several letters written from Oxford, and 
its neighbourhood, will not be unacceptable. The first, it will" 
be seen, is to one of the sisters of the late Mrs. Buchanan : 

" Oxford, April 3, 1809. 

" This is the day on which I was united in marriage to your 
sister Mary. I rejoice when I think that you and M. are fol- 
lowing her steps. She is now in the enjoyment of scenes of 
bliss, while we are afflicted by contests below. But she had 
her day of affliction also, and when she was sufficiently purified 
by the refiner, she ascended on high. 

44 1 hope you and I shall be carried through in like manner, 
and leave some testimony that we were not of this world. How 
great is the change made by grace on a young person ! May 
you be more and more conformed to his image, and learn to 
know (what St. Paul saith passeth knowledge) the length, and 
breadth, and height, and depth of the love of Christ to usward. 

" My love to your husband ; and believe me to be, very 
affectionately yours, C. Buchanan." 

" Woodstock, 4th April, 1809. 
" I spent yesterday in the Bodleian Library, and I am to-day 
looking over the Duke of Marlborough's at Blenheim. He 
has a noble collection of oriental Bibles. I want to compare 
some Biblical MSS. from the East, with the Bodleian this 
week, with the aid of Drs. White and Ford. Dr. Ford is a 
well-informed, vigorous scholar ; but Dr. White seems nearly 
worn out. There is nothing that wears well in old age but 
heavenly learning : a proof this, that there is a 4 wisdom 
which cometh from above? It is only the christian who can 
say, 

u ' The soul's dark coltage, batter'd and decay'd, 
Lets in new light through chinks that lime has made." ' 



322 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" OxFoni), 13th April, 1809. 

" In my last I asked you to aid me in doing a service to the 
English church in India.* Will you now grant a boon to the 
•.Arabian and Persian church ? I want to send out immediately 
to Calcutta a fount of Arabic and Persian types for printing 
the scriptures and other works in these languages. The Per- 
sian is most urgent. I shall want to see a specimen of the type 
before the agreement be concluded. 

" I have been at Blenheim two days, looking into the Duke 
of Marlborough's library, where I found my old fellow col- 
legian, j author of , domestic chaplain. I had not 

known it was my own friend who was the author of that work. 
' What,' said I, ' have you spent the last twelve years in writ- 
ing verses, and to be mangled by the Edinburgh Review after 
all V I urged him to run off immediately. He possesses noble 
talents ; and looks forward, though not with much ardour, to 
the opportunity of making a better use of them than he has 
hitherto done." 

From Oxford Dr. Buchanan proceeded to London from 
whence he wrote to Colonel Sandys as follows : 

" London, 28th April, 1809. 

" I received your last while I was at Oxford. I stayed there 
about ten days ; and left a manuscript of the Gospel of St. 
John in the Eth topic language, which I found in the East, 
with the Oriental Professor, Dr. Ford, who is going to collate 
it. Other MSS. of the Hebrew and Chaldaic scriptures I pro- 
pose to deposit in the public library of the University of Cam- 
bridge.! I proceed thither to-morrow, to preach on Sunday in 
Mr. Simeon's church. 

" My friends here wish me to take Welbeck chapel, while 
Mr. White, the present preacher, goes to his living in the 
country. If I find that my endeavours are blessed, I shall pro- 
bably remain in it. But it is rather my wish to retire to a 
parish in the country. 

" The 4 Star in the East,' I find, has excited a general in- 
terest. I breakfasted yesterday with the Bishop of London, 
who said he was sure it would do a great deal of good." 

A few extracts from various letters to his friends will serve 
as a brief journal of Dr. Buchanan's proceedings at this period. 



* This was respecting an organ, which Dr. Buchanan had been requested 
to procure for the mission church at Calcutta, 
t For a particular notice of these MSS. see page 228. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 323 

"Terrace, High street, 12th May, 1809. 

" I returned yesterday from Hertford College, with which I 
was much pleased. Of course it owes its present efficiency 
chiefly to a wise selection of professors. Dealtry alone would 
do honour to any institution. 

44 My friends have found me out here, and my engagements 
multiply ; but after a short time I hope to be at large. I find 
a great body of Indian families in these streets, who appear to 
have really less religion here than they had in the East. In 
the great multitude with whom they are now mixed, their con- % 
duct is not so easily recognized as in India ; and, being less 
conspicuous, they think themselves less responsible. It is diffi- 
cult to know what or how to preach to such. I must pray for 
divine direction. 

44 The Ethiopic Gospel is now at Cambridge ; and one of the 
professors is about to examine and collate it, as soon as he has 
improved himself a little more in the language. Other persons 
will be appointed to examine the other MSS. 

44 A few Sundays ago I preached the annual charity sermon 
at the Lock Hospital, where I found a great body of the religious 
world of London of the higher cast. Instead of entertaining 
them with news from India, which, perhaps, some expected, I 
gave them an account of the spiritual resurrection." 

In the letter which next follows, Dr. Buchanan notices the 
distinguished honour which had been just conferred upon him 
by the University of Cambridge, and adds some interesting 
particulars respecting his ministry at Welbeck chapel : 

44 Cambridge has conferred on me the highest honour in her 
gift. She petitioned his majesty to grant me the degree of 
Doctor in Divinity. The mandate was issued, and I received 
the degree on the commencement day last week. Dr. Rams- 
den, as Regius Professor of Divinity, delivered a speech on the 
occasion, in the name of the university, in whieh he referred 
to the evangelization of the East, and to my endeavours. The 
Dbke of Gloucester and many of the nobility were present. I 
waited on the Bishop of Bristol after my degree, and received 
from his lordship an assurance that he would ever support the 
cause in which I had been so long engaged. He subscribed at 
the same time to the Bible Society. All the heads of houses 
whom I saw professed their gratification at the public notice 
the university had taken of the subject. I shall be shortly call- 
ed to preach before the university. 

44 1 live very retired at present ; preaching regularly to my 
congregation, and attending little to public affairs. The no- 
bility have mostly left town ; but their seats at my chapel are 



324 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

filled generally by the poorer sort. The Duke of Gordon, 
Lord R. Seymour, and others, yet remain. I pray to be ena- 
bled to persevere to the end of my time with them, next No- 
vember ; and, after that, to the end of my race, wherever I shall 
be called to run. 

44 The christians in Travancore are suffering persecution, 
which may do them good. I foresee another conflict on mis- 
sions : may we all be found faithful and prudent, wise and 
harmless ! 

44 Before the nobility left town, I delivered to some of them 
at Welheck chapel my views of the pious and useful life of the 
late Bishop of London. I noticed his exertions to preserve the 
purity of public morals ; and gave them an account of my last 
interview with the bishop, a few days before his death, and of 
his testimony to serious piety. Speaking of a public trial then 
pending, in which some allusion had been made to the re- 
ligious character of one of his friends, he observed that the 
character of public men professing religion was severely tried, 
and often greatly misrepresented in the present age. And, ad- 
dressing himself to the master of a college in one of our uni- 
versities, then in company, he added these words : * The man 
who shall at this day conduct himself in a strictly religious 
manner, and make a profession of serious piety, must be con- 
tent to be misunderstood by some, and called by a name of 
reproach.' " 

The following is a somewhat fuller account of the effect of 
Dr. Buchanan's ministry at Welbeck chapel, from a letter to a 
friend soon after he had left it : 

44 The power of religion which I witnessed in Marybone was 
more among the lower than the higher classes ; though even 
among them I have reason to believe that good has been done. 
A general spirit of conciliation was manifest. Lady re- 
tains an abiding impression, and does the works of righteous- 
ness. I visited her frequently. Lady also has evinced a 

just sense of true religion, and others of rank. But the glory 
of the gospel was chiefly manifested in Mrs. B., who di^i last 
month. She was but in humble life ; but many of th<? nobility 
visited her, and benefitted by her example." 

In the month of August Dr. Buchanan left London on a 
journey into Yorkshire ; the object of which will be perceived 
by the following extract from a letter to Colonel Sandys : 

"London, 31st Aug. 1809. 
44 1 have been absent from London the last ten days. My 
friends wished to know if I should like to fix at Scarborough, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 325 

if the advowson of the living were purchased ; and I went 
down to see the place and the people. There is but one church, 
and seven thousand inhabitants, besides the visiters. I found 
the Rev. Mr. Robinson of Leicester there ; and we both 
preached last Sunday, he in the morning, and I in the evening. 
It was calculated that three thousand persons were in church. 
I do not think that I shall settle there ; but I leave the event to 
Him whose providence governs all things. 

" While at Scarborough, I was hospitably entertained by a 
family I have long heard of, and wished much to see, Mr: 
Thompson's of Kirby Hall. 

"I am glad you are reading Milner's Church History. He 
has combined more real piety and sound sense in these volumes 
than are to be found in half the books of the day. 

U I am engaged by Mr. Burn to preach two sermons at 
Birmingham on the 8th of October next, on some annual oc- 
casion. My journey has refreshed me, I think, after some 
months residence in London, though it was rapid, and chiefly 
in the mail. I am glad that William has such an awful sense 
of the importance of the ministry. That is more likely in time 
to lead him to it, than to drive him from it." 

About the first week in October Dr. Buchanan took a second 
journey into Yorkshire, and returned at the end of a fortnight, 
for the purpose of preaching a series of sermons on the interest- 
ing occasion afforded by the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of 
our venerable sovereign ; and with the last of these discourses 
he closed his engagement at Welbeck chapel. 



CHAPTER III. 

Early in the ensuing month Dr. Buchanan communicated 
to the friend to whom the preceding letter was addressed his 
intention of again entering into the marriage state. The lady 
with whom he formed this second engagement, was the daughter 
of Henry Thompson, Esq., of Kirby Hall, near Boroughbridge, 
in Yorkshire. Dr. Buchanan, as we have already seen, be- 
came acquainted with this respectable family during his first 
visit to Scarborough, and was attracted towards Miss Thomp- 
son by her piety, her active benevolence, and her filial duty 
and affection. This connexion was particularly agreeable to 
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, and was universally approved by the 
friends of Dr. Buchanan. The marriage accordingly took plac§ 

e e 



326 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

in the month of February following ; from which period he 
fixed his residence in Yorkshire. 

A few extracts from his letters will describe the plan of life 
upon which he now entered, and show with how much promp- 
titude and diligence he engaged in the duties of the ministry. 

"Kirby Hall, March, 1810. 

44 We live at Moat Hall, or Parsonage, within a quarter of a 
mile of the mansion. I have undertaken the whole charge of 
the parish of Ouseburn. On the Thursday and Sunday even- 
ings I have a meeting of my parishioners in my own house. I 
read a portion of scripture to them, and expound it ; and gene- 
rally incorporate the subject of the lecture in a prayer. I ought 
to be thankful for the attentive ear of the people. 

" Mrs. Buchanan enters into these plans with much ardour 
and affection. 

44 After staying here some months, I shall probably return 
to London ; at least my friends urge me to resume Welbeck. 
I published three Jubilee Sermons, as a record that I was once 
there. They are passing through a second edition, to which 
is to be annexed * the Star in the East. 1 " 

The friend who originally introduced Dr. Buchanan to Wel- 
beck chapel was anxious that he should be permanently fixed 
in that or in some similar station, which he had shown that he 
was so well qualified to fill. He therefore proposed the build- 
ing of a chapel in one of the western parishes of London, and 
wrote to Dr. Buchanan for his approbation of the plan. To 
this he replied as follows : 

44 Accept my sincere thanks for your kind congratulations. 
I was about to write to you, that our correspondence might not 
cease on account of distance. 

44 1 have next to thank yon, in the name of the church in 
India, for your zeal in relation to the organ. 

44 1 much approve your proposal for building a chapel ; and 
I trust it will please Providence to bring the work to a conclu- 
sion. I take it for granted that you mean a building which will 
contain two thousand people, with all the latest improvements 
in church accommodation, and propriety of decoration. 

44 I know not how it may please God to dispose of my life 
and services in the revolution of years, but I consider the situa- 
tion you propose as highly important ; and I beg you will pro- 
ceed with your plan of building the chapel, under the presump- 
tion that I shall be its minister. 

44 Great simplicity, I think, ought to be observed in the con- 
struction and finishing ; approaching nearer to the Gothic than 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 327 

the Grecian taste, but not to be wholly in either style ; for 
there is no such thing, I allege, as truth in architecture. An 
oval or oblong octagon is by far the best general plan of an edi- 
fice, having the pulpit in the phonic centre. But I shall sub- 
mit to your judgment in all things." 

Notwithstanding the apparently promising nature of this, 
and of a similar plan, which was supported by many opulent 
inhabitants of Marybone, various difficulties, well known to 
those who embark in such engagements, prevented the accom- 
plishment of either ; and circumstances in the life of Dr. Bu- 
chanan not long afterwards occurred, which proved that the 
expectations of his friends upon this point would, as far as his 
ministry was concerned, have been but too soon disappointed/ 
In the meantime the idea was mutually cherished. 

The Jubilee Sermons, to which reference has more than once 
been made, were published early in the year 18 10, and were very 
generally read and admired. The threefold view Dr. Buchanan 
took of a subject, which the well-known circumstances of the 
occasion rendered peculiarly interesting, gave him an oppor- 
tunity of embracing a variety of topics, which a more limited 
plan would scarcely have allowed. The first of these sermons 
exhibits a view of the Mosaic jubilee, as a religious, moral, 
and political institution ; together with its analogy to " the ac- 
ceptable year of the Lord," proclaimed by the Saviour of the 
world. The second was devoted to the British jubilee, and 
contained an animated review of the political and religious 
blessings which had been bestowed upon this favoured country 
during the lengthened reign of his present majesty; amongst 
the latter of which he particularly dwells on the preservation 
of our national church in her faith and polity, the increase of 
true religion throughout the empire, the general instruction of 
the poor, and the universal diffusion of the Holy Scriptures. 
The last of these excellent discourses, which is perhaps the 
most generally useful and important of the three, leads us for- 
ward to the closing scene of all, the heavenly jubilee. The 
employment and felicity of heaven, and the character of those 
who shall be admitted to the celestial jubilee, are here con- 
sidered; and the whole is concluded by a copious application 
of the subject, which includes the most important practical 
topics adapted to the circumstances of the higher classes of 
society. Amongst these Dr. Buchanan introduced a powerful 
appeal as to the duty of propagating the gospel in heathen na- 
tions. Though the subject of these sermons partook of an oc- 
casional character, the general views they display will doubt- 
less preserve tbem from oblivion, and render them more than 



328 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

temporary proofs of the various knowledge, the fervent yet 
rational piety, and the warm yet enlightened benevolence, 
which distinguish the writings of their author. 

to to 

Of the second edition of his Jubilee Sermons, Dr. Bu- 
chanan sent a copy to his eldest daughter, accompanied by the 
following note : 

u My dear Charlotte, — I have the pleasure to send you a 
book, which I hope you will receive as a mark of my affec- 
tion. My chief desire in regard to you and Augusta is, that 
you may be prepared on earth for the heavenly jubilee ; and in 
regard to myself, that I may meet you there. 

" I hear from some, that you are not inattentive to religious 
subjects. This gives me real pleasure. It is a noble thing to 
see the young daughter follow the steps of her departed mo- 
ther. That mother now rejoices in the heavenly jubilee, and 
looks for the time when her two children shall join her in sing- 
ing the song of the Lamb." 

In the spring of this year, Dr. Buchanan received letters 
from Mr. Brown, which announced to him the tranquil and 
even prosperous state of things in India, as to the promotion 
of christian knowledge, and the active labours of many learned 
and excellent persons in forwarding the designs of his chris- 
tian institution, under the fostering care of the Corresponding 
Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Mr. 
Brown dwelt with peculiar energy and delight on the exer- 
tions of Mr. Martyn and his associates, and pleaded strongly 
in behalf of the new Arabic translation of the scriptures, then 
recently undertaken by Sabat. 

Another Indian letter which Dr. Buchanan received at this 
time was from the Rev. Mr. Kolhoff, the pious and excellent 
missionary in Tanjore. It is dated October 21, 1809, and is 
as follows : 

" 'Rev. and very worthy Sir, — Your very kind letter of the 
4th of January, directed to the Rev. Mr. Horst and myself, we 
had the pleasure to receive, on the 8th of July last, and beg 
you to accept of our hearty and sincere thanks for your kind 
remembrance of us, and for the affectionate regard and atten- 
tion you have shown towards the mission committed to our 
care. 

" Upon the receipt of your favours, Mr. Horst has, agreea- 
bly to your request, without delay, set about collecting mate- 
rials for publishing the life of our much respected and beloved pre- 
decessor, the late Rev. Mr. Swartz, and has now ready about 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 329 

ten sheets, closely written, which will give nearly the same 
number in print, and which he would have despatched ere this, 
if he had not found out that he had unfortunately omitted several 
material points in the very beginning of Mr. Swartz's life. 

M It gives us great pleasure to acquaint you that the Honour- 
able the Court of Directors have taken into their benevolent 
consideration our humble petition addressed by us to the go- 
vernment of Madras, at the end of the year 1806, and have 
been kindly pleased to grant an addition of seven hundred to 
their former donation of five hundred pagodas on account of 
the Protestant schools of this mission. 

14 The resolution of government came to our hands on the 
13th of this month, at a time when we were ready to despond 
and sink under the burden which oppressed us, and has given 
us a fresh motive for thankfulness to God for his fatherly care 
towards us. To you also, my dear sir, our warmest acknow- 
ledgments are due for having suggested that measure to us, and 
we beg you to accept the assurance of our most lively grati- 
tude for your friendly advice, which has had such a beneficial 
effect on the cause of the mission, and of the gospel of Jesus 
Christ." 

The life of that eminent missionary, the venerable Swartz, 
which is thus alluded to in his worthy successor's letter, was 
a favourite subject with Dr. Buchanan. He had proceeded so 
far with it as to be intending to publish it a year or two before 
his own death, but was prevented from executing his plan by 
the information he received of the same work having been un- 
dertaken by another person. The papers w T hich he had col- 
lected for this purpose are now in the hands of his family. 

The following extracts from Dr. Buchanan's correspondence, 
in the spring of this year, will illustrate his piety and christian 
sympathy, as well as the habitual activity and ardour of his 
mind with reference to the great object of his life : 

"Kirby Hall, 1st May, 1810. 
" My dear Sister, — Your letter gave me great pleasure. 
You have a hope of being restored to your family and to active 
service a little while longer. I say a little while, for you must 
not look to long life, unless it should please God to restore you 
soon to strong and confirmed health. But let us not talk of 
life, but of how we are to live. I admire your expression, 
and the spirit which animates it, 'I trust I have an increasing 
desire to devote myself to the Lord.' May this desire, my 
dear sister, live in your heart till you die. It will be like ■ a 
well of water springing up into everlasting life ;' for this desire 

Ee 2 



330 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of which you speak has been imparted to you by the Holy 
Spirit, which our Lord compares to the water of life. 4 If any 
man thirst, let him come to me and drink ;' and then it is 
added, ' This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe 
on him should receive.' John vii. 37. Blessed are they in 
w r hose heart this desire has been awakened ! It is more to be 
valued than crowns and diadems. How beautiful is this desire 
in a female, and in a young person, and in the mother of children ! 
For who led your steps to ■ the waters' when you first heard 
the invitation, ' Ho, every one that thirsteth V Behold the 
world around you, how few thirst for the waters ! 

" I now behold in you, your dear sister Mary thirsting after 
righteousness. The promise will be fulfilled to yon, as it was 
to her. ' They shall be filled.' I have no admonition to give 
you. You are under heavenly guidance. One thing I will 
notice; this is your season of prayer. Let your prayers be 
offered up incessantly, at this time, for your husband and chil- 
dren ; first, that he also may be a well of water, nourishing 
the souls of others unto eternal life ; that he may ' increase,' 
if you are to decrease; and that new strength may be given 
him as he approaches the vigour of life and understanding. 
You know that, by the divine command, the persons appointed 
to the ' service of the tabernacle' were confined to the period be- 
tween thirty and fifty ; and that is certainly the period of the 
most effective service. And it will cost him and me many a 
sigh, if, when that period has elapsed, any thing should have 
interrupted our zeal and labour in the heavenly ministration. 
Secondly, that your dear children may grow up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord. For now is the time to lay up a 
treasury of prayers for them, which may be answering when 
your spirit is on high, and your body is in the dust. And pray 
for me also, that I may be found faithful. If I should survive 
you in life, it will be a great satisfaction to me to reflect that I 
once had your prayers. And pray for your brother in the mi- 
nistry, and for your father and mother, and all your family. 
For when * the spirit of grace and supplication is poured out,' 
(Zech. xii. 10,) its objects are indefinite. When we 'look 
upon him whom we have pierced,' we shall be anxious to bring 
all we love to behold the same glorious Redeemer. Then do 
we understand, for the first time, what is meant by 'charity;' 
that charity whose boundless praises are set forth in the 13th 
ot the 1st of Corinthians, and which the world understands not. 

" My love to your brother and to my little girls. Adieu. 

C. Buchanan." 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 331 

"Kirbt Hall, 16th April, 1810. 

11 I rejoice to hear that C. is alive and well, and that the 
Malayalim version of St. Matthew's Gospel has been printed. 
There are upwards of two hundred thousand christians, Cath- 
olic and Syrian, who can read it. 

" I should gladly aid the , if I could ; but the truth 

is, I have no papers by me, not even of a year's standing. 
When in India, I emptied my bureau every year, regularly, 
and committed papers and letters to the flames. But I shall 
think of something for you now and then. 

" I am looking out with some solicitude to see what may be 
done, both in regard to England and India ; and I think Provi- 
dence will soon open a way. In the meantime, the gospel is' 
preached both at home and abroad, and ' the kingdom' advances. 
It is ours to work ' to-day.' To m/a^ov [a*mi fj.cu Christ will see 
to his own church ' to-morrow.' I pray that I may do in the 
right spirit the portion of work assigned me, whatever it be ; 
if indeed I belong to the family of Christ, and have found 
mercy to be faithful. 

" I am not qualified to meet the public eye often. I am nei- 
ther copious nor ready ; and I can truly say, I never write wha 4 : 
pleases myself. But I will give you bones now and then, if 
you will give them flesh. And I pra3 r that you and I may in- 
crease in zeal hi the great work. There is no zeal without 
intemperance, as the world defines it. For what is temper- 
ance? Ask first at the equinoctial line, and then at Nova 
Zembla. For so extensive are the latitudes of thinking among 
the servants of the gospel ; even amongst those who are pro- 
moting most successfully the interests of Christ's kingdom." 

"Kirby Hall, 23d April. 

44 The ship Charlton, in which I returned from India, has 
been carried into the Mauritius by two French frigates. Poor 

Limrick w r ent down in the Calcutta, together with L and 

his heaps of paper. 

" The organ for the mission church has been shipped. It is 
a noble one. 

" ***** Hebetude and illiberality are apt to creep on 
our minds after a long retirement in a nook of the vineyard. 
We need to be ' withstood to the face,' like St. Peter, and to 
receive the bastinado on the soles of our feet once a month, at 
least, to keep us active and operative, according to ' the gift 
that is in us.' Men who walk in and about a house for a 
whole life are at last afraid of people who walk abroad, and 
begin to criticise and to despise them ; for they really do not 



332 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

understand what they are doing. And we must bear with such. 
For we should have been just the same had we vegitated in a 
corner." 

It has been already observed that, on his first visit to the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge, after his return to this country, Dr. Bu- 
chanan presented to the public library several valuable oriental 
manuscripts, which he had procured during his journey to the 
coast of Malabar.* They were twenty-five in number, chiefly 
Biblical, and written in the Hebrew, Syriac, and Ethiopic lan- 
guages. The most curious and important of these manuscripts 
are a copy of the Hebrew Pentateuch, written on goat-skins, 
and found in one of the Black Jews' synagogues at Cochin ; 
a copy of the Bible, containing the books of the Old and New 
Testament, with the Apocrypha, written on large folio vellum, 
and in the ancient or Estrangelo character, which was a pre- 
sent to Dr. Buchanan from the venerable Bishop of the Syrian 
churches ; and a version of the New Testament into Hebrew, 
executed by a learned Rabbi in Travancore, about one hun- 
dred and fifty years since. This version was transcribed by 
Mr. Yeates, at Cambridge, by the appointment and at the ex- 
pense of Dr. Buchanan, chiefly with a view to promote the 
production of a translation of the New Testament in the pure 
style of the Hebrew of the Old, for the benefit of the Jews, and 
in aid of the laudable design, for this purpose, of the London 
Society for the conversion of that ancient people. The same 
laborious scholar, in the year 1813, published a collection of 
the Indian copy of the Pentateuch, which had been also made 
at the expense of the munificent donor, and was printed by 
the Syndics of the University press for the benefit of Mr. 
Yeates. 

On the 12th of June, Dr. Buchanan preached the annual ser- 
mon before the Church Missionary Society, at St. Anne's, 
Blackfriars. It was a grand occasion, and a collection of nearly 
four hundred pounds proved the interest excited by the preacher 
on behalf of the great objects of that important society. From 
the text, " Ye are the light of the world," Dr. Buchanan made 
a forcible appeal to his christian audience on the solemn duty 
attached to their profession of giving light to a benighted world. 
After some excellent observations on the sermon upon the 
mount, for the purpose of pointing out the moral character of 
the " children of the light," the preacher observed that, if chris- 
tians wished to be " the light of the world," they would draw 
their light from Christ, and send forth preachers bearing the 

* See letter descriptive of these manuscripts at p. 323. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 333 

character which he hath delineated ; and that, if they were in- 
struments of the " true light," they would be zealous in adopt- 
ing the most effectual means of diffusing it. In discussing 
these two propositions, Dr. Buchanan recurred to a subject he 
w r as so well qualified to describe, the moral darkness of the 
pagan world ; gave much interesting information, and suggested 
many valuable hints relative to missions to the heathen. 

The following observations on the society before which this 
discourse was delivered, and on the British and Foreign Bible 
Society, are added for the purpose of recording some express- 
testimony to his warm approbation and support of both those 
admirable institutions. 

" Your object and that of the Bible Society is the same. It ' 
is — to give the Bible to the world. But, as that sacred volume 
cannot be given to men of different nations until it be trans- 
lated into their respective languages, it is the. province of your 
institution to send forth proper instruments for this purpose. 
Your society is confined to members of the established church. 
You do not interfere with the 4 Society for the Propagation of 
the Gospel in Foreign Parts,' nor with that ' for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge ;' for neither of these professes the pre- 
cise objects to which you would confine yourselves. It does 
not seem to be possible to frame an objection to your establish- 
ment. When the design and the proceedings of your institu- 
tion shall have been fully made known, you may expect the 
support of the Episcopal body, of the two universities, and of 
every zealous member of the Church of England. 

" It has been objected to that noble institution to which we 
have alluded, the British and Foreign Bible Society, that it is 
in its character universal ; that it embraces all, and acknow- 
ledges no cast in the christian religion : and it has been in- 
sinuated that we ought not to be zealous for Christ's king- 
dom, if we must associate, in any degree, with men of all de- 
nominations. But, surely, there is an error in this judgment. 
We seek the aid of all descriptions of men in defending our 
country against the enemy. We love to see men of all de- 
scriptions showing their allegiance to the king. Was it ever 
said to a poor man, You are not qualified to show your alle- 
giance to the king? You must not cast your mite into the 
treasury of your king? My brethren, let every man who op- 
poses these institutions examine his own heart, whether he be 
true in his allegiance to the King of kings. 

" For myself, I hail the present unanimity of hitherto dis* 
cordant bands, as a great event in the church ; and as marking 
a grand character of Christ's promised kingdom ; when 4 the 



334 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf, and the 
young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead 
them.' Isaiah xi. 6. I consider the extension and unity of the 
Bible Society as the best pledge of the continuance of the 
divine mercy to this land : and, 1 doubt not, the time will come 
when the nation will reckon that society a greater honour to 
her, as a christian people, than any other institution of which 
she can boast." 

One scene of exertion in the life of Dr. Buchanan was 
followed by another. On the 23d of June he thus wrote to a 
friend : 

" I am appointed by the University of Cambridge to preach 
before them two sermons, on Commencement Sunday, the 1st 
of July next. I am rather weak in spirit at present, and not 
strong in bodily health ; but I pray for strength, and I trust 
the Lord will sustain me. My sermons will be published. " 

Of Dr. Buchanan's Commencement Sermons we shall have 
occasion to speak more fully when we notice their publica- 
tion. In the meantime, the following brief account of them, 
by himself, to one of his friends, soon after they were delivered, 
may not be unacceptable to the reader. 

"London, July 11th, 1810. 

" Your letter of the 30th ult. followed me to London; for I 
only stayed at Cambridge two days after I preached. 

" I addressed the students on the importance of the sacred 
office, in conclusion; and intimated that the time was now 
come when every man, who stood on the side of religion, 
must be content to bear a name of reproach ; for it was a ne- 
cessary evidence of his character. 

"I preached for three-quarters of an hour in the morning, 
and above an hour in the afternoon. There was the most so- 
lemn stillness. The church was crowded. 

" On the Tuesday following, the Bishop of Bristol came up 
to me in the Senate House, and thanked me for the discourses, 
and expressed a hope that they would be published. Others 
did the same. Dean Milner, who is Vice-Chancellor, informed 
me, soon afterwards, that he thought himself authorized to 
grant the imprimatur of the University for their publication ; 
and I am preparing them for the press accordingly. I mean to 
publish important matter as an appendix. Adieu. C. B." 

M To Colonel Sandys. 

"Scarborough, 24th Aug. 1810. 
" I thank you for your excellent letter of the 27th July. A 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 335 

letter from you is always worth something. Continue to pray 
for me, and to exhort me. 

" Since my arrival here, I have been engaged in preaching 
regularly, on Sundays and Wednesdays, at the great church, to 
the strangers and residents at the Spa. 

*' I should have published my University sermons, and many 
other things, by this time ; but the truth is, that the congrega- 
tions at Scarborough, and the hope of some utility, have put 
Cambridge, and its scenes, almost out of my head. I preach 
here a fortnight longer, and then return to Kirby Hall. After 
my return, I shall sit down to the Cambridge lucubrations." 

In the autumn of this year Colonel Macaulay, one of the 
most valued friends of Dr. Buchanan, returned to this country. '' 
It is to this circumstance, and to the intimate association be- 
tween the name of that gentleman and the Malayalim version 
of the New Testament, that the following extracts from letters 
to him, and to his brother, Z. Macaulay, Esq., refer: 

" Kirby Hall, 28th Sept. 1810. 

" I rejoice to hear that your brother is soon expected, and 
that he comes by land. That will be a proper finale to his 
pilgrim life. I am happy to hear that two Gospels are finished 
in Malayalim. I had been informed that St. Matthew only 
had been printed, and that it had been distributed ; and I said 
so in my sermon. But it is better now that the four Gospels 
should be distributed, bound up together. I shall write to Mr. 
Woodhouse on the subject. How many copies has he sent 
you ? If he has sent many, I shall forward them to Calcutta, 
the fountain-head of distribution, with instructions to Mr. 
Brown. 

" Will you have the goodness to send a copy, neatly bound, 
to the Rev. Mr. Kerrich, librarian of the University of Cam- 
bridge, for the public library? 

" You may also send bound copies to the Bible Society, 
Bartlett's Buildings Society, and to the University of Oxford ; 
also to the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrew's, 
and Aberdeen. To save you trouble, if you will put them 
into the 'hands of your bookseller, he will transmit them; and 
I will pay his bill, with thanks to you." 

" 9th October. 
" This is great news. And so C. is thus far through the wil- 
derness ; once more in his native land ! May he pass through 
the Jordan flood, at last, with the voice of triumph and thanks- 
giving ! 



336 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 Will you have the goodness to forward the trunk to me as 
soon as it can be rescued from the India House ? It contains 
some papers, I believe, which I wish to see before what I am 
now preparing goes to press. 

44 There is no person in this country who can improve the 
Malayalim translation, because it is performed by men to whom 
the language is vernacular. It is not like the versions executed 
by Europeans. 

44 The Bible Society may assume great credit to itself by 
patronising this version, for the demand for copies will be per- 
petual and inexhaustible ; even until 4 the mountains shall be 
cast into the sea.' " 

44 To Colonel Macaulay. 

" 7 th November. 

44 1 am concerned to find that Cheltenham is necessary for 
you. But I think you will not remain there long. A little of 
the waters is enough. Pray, retreat as soon as the cold wea- 
ther warns you. The warm town is the place for you. I 
have been at Bath, Clifton, Cheltenham, Scarborough, since 
my return. But there is no place like warm and busy London 
in the winter; unless, like me, you had a fireside of your own, 
and a wife and hissing urn, and a sofa to wheel round, to 
read the book of four pages. Another argument for an early 
hejira from Cheltenham, is its unprofitable society. I have 
looked through all these places, and would rather pass a month 
at Chetwe or Trivandupuram with you, than be condemned 
to mix daily with the visiters at a w r atering-place in our own 
country. 

44 1 find the difference of cast greater here than in India. I 
am thankful that I can aspire more, day by day, to be of the 
high cast. I wish to be a pure Namboory among christians. 
And, if the Sooders will not go off the road for me, I must go 

ofT the road for them. is, in this sense, a Brahmin of 

high cast. He is, indeed, 4 a gift of God' to his country ; fol- 
low him, even as he follows Christ. 

44 1 give you twelve months complete before you settle ; and, if 
you settle then, I shall be thankful ; though Providence perhaps 
has ordained that you should ever continue, like Abraham, 4 a 
pilgrim and a sojourner in the land in which you have no inherit- 
ance,' but look fonvard to another country, 4 to a city which 
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' Blessed 
is the man who wishes not to build a city in this world. This 
is often a ruling passion with Indians ; they come home to 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN- 337 

build a city and a tower. is building a mansion, with 

seven turrets, on his estate. 

" Adieu, my dear sir, C. Buchanan." 

The following passage in a letter to another friend contains 
the first intimation of a tendency to serious indisposition which 
Dr. Buchanan appears to have felt since his return from India : 

" Kirbt Hall, 7th Nov. 1810. 

" We returned lately from Scarborough, where I passed two- 
months, ministering twice a week in the large church there. 
Since my return, I have been visited with an indisposition 
which the faculty do not seem to understand very well. It is 
merely a great quickness of breathing, and great lassitude from 
slight exercise, without any other complaint whatever. I de- 
sisted from peaching for a fortnight ; but mean to resume it. 
It is probably some illness induced by a hot climate ; and it 
becomes me to ' work while it is called to-day.' 

94 My letters from India state that the gospel flourishes in 
almost every quarter. The seed sown is producing fruit where 
there has been very little cultivation ; and now our attention is 
directed to the Malay isles ; for the whole Dutch empire in the 
Eastern Ocean will probably soon be ours. The word of truth, 
I am happy to inform you, runs and is glorified in these parts" 
(in Yorkshire) "also; but the chief evil is, that it is rather 
fashionable among the lower classes. I find the most useful 
preaching is to draw aside the cloak of profession, and see what 
is under it." 

Dr. Buchanan was now employed in preparing his Cam- 
bridge Sermons for the press. To these he was intending to 
add, as an appendix, a variety of new and interesting matter, 
connected with the great subject of his discourses, and illus- 
trating the progress of the gospel in the East. Distrusting, 
however, his own judgment upon a few points, amongst which 
was the name which this appendage should assume, or willing, 
at least, to submit it to that of others, he referred the whole to 
the revision and ultimate determination of two or three able 
and judicious friends. It was to them that the following letters 
were addressed ; and they will serve at once to evince the 
christian simplicity and humility which adorned the writer's 
character : 

" Kirbt Hall, 22d October, 1810. 
" Tell K. that the half of my Appendix is gone up. I re- 
quested and to expunge any thing they thought 

rf 



338 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAtf. 

Wrong : and intimated to them that I wished not to give any 
unnecessary offence in word or manner ; but that it was my 
purpose to pronounce a faithful and unequivocal testimony to 
the truth of the gospel. I pray that God will overrule the evil 
of my work for good to the souls of men. For it hath enough 
of evil, although I trust the purpose is good. 

" I do not want fame, (I mean as a carnal object,) but I wish 
to glorify Christ on earth, as I can, the few days that remain 
to me. I think with you that W. had enthusiasm and many 
infirmities. So had Luther. Nihilominus sit mea anima 
cum Mo J" 

The following passages were addressed to Colonel Macau- 
lay ; whose long residence in the south of India, and intimate 
acquaintance with the principal scenes of Dr. Buchanan's re- 
searches, peculiarly qualified him for the friendly office which 
he was requested to undertake. 

"Kirby Hall, 20th December. 

44 I shall be very thankful for your revision, particularly of 
the * Syrian Christians;' for I quote much from memory and 
imperfect notes. Only finish it in your own words ; for I am 
not very strong for study at present, and my church occupies 
my attention. What I say to you, I say to your brother: for 
you are both friends of the truth in an evil day. 

" I expect no particular effect from the Christian Researches, 
farther than affording some gratification to the advocates for 
Christianity, and some vigour, perhaps, to their hopes. 

" If your alterations are important, you may just mention 
what they are, but it will not be necessary to return the manu- 
script ; for I can rely on your just judgment. I have rather a 
rugged style. Be pleased to add a word, and qualify my ab- 
ruptness when it offends you." 

" 31st December. 

"I concur with you in every sentiment contained in your 
letter. My friends in India have long urged me to notice the 
exertions of the Church of England there, under the name of 
4 The Christian Institution in the East ;' and I was preparing 
to publish a list of its members at the conclusion of the work. 
But the promotion of Christianity is the grand object ; and 
the expression of your fears is sufficient argument for me to 
suppress the name of the 4 Christian Institution' for the present. 

44 Be pleased, therefore, to obliterate the name, and substi- 
tute that of 4 Christian Researches in Asia ;' and retain as much 
of the introductory pages as may comport with your view of 
utility. I have no copy by me ; and I am in poor health, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 339 

and have other avocations. I desire nothing but to promote the 
glory of the christian dispensation. I could wish to make my 
work as catholic as possible, so that all may love its object. 
If you will make it such, you will make me happy. I want 
the work to be printed by the 10th of February, for 
transmission to India. India is more in my view than Eng- 
land, in regard to its utility. If you find any sarcasm, pray 
expunge it: but do not sacrifice a word of truth. 

"I should write to you more particularly, but Mrs. Bu- 
chanan's confinement has been attended with circumstances- 
which endangered her life ; and I think of little at present but 
what is momentous and eternal. She is now better." 

The conclusion of the preceding extract referred to a sea- ''. 
son of great trial which had taken place a few days before, 
and which after much suffering had terminated safely. Mrs. 
Buchanan recovered, but the child, who was. named Claudius, 
survived only three days. " On the morning of the first day of 
the new year," observed his pious father, " I committed the 
little stranger to his parent earth. Mrs. B. has more of joy 
than sorrow from these events." 

Amidst the anxiety occasioned by the illness of Mrs. Bu- 
chanan, and the interruption of personal indisposition, Dr. 
Buchanan prepared for the press his University Sermons, and 
the "Christian Researches in Asia." The subject of these 
sermons w r as similar to that of his discourse before the Church 
Mission Society, — the diffusion of christian knowledge through- 
out the world. From the words of the divine fiat, " Let there 
be light," as applied to the course of the great " Sun of Right- 
eousness," Dr. Buchanan noticed three distinct eras of this 
heavenly illumination ; that of the first promulgation of the 
gospel, the reformation from popery, and the present period. 
After an able and interesting historic view of these three eras 
of light, he urged a series of arguments, to which a reference 
only can here be made, to convince the Church of England of 
her obligations to exert herself in the great work of evangeli- 
zing the world. Having led the way by patronising about a 
century since the Protestant mission to India, it became her, he 
said, to resume her former station, and, " standing as she does 
like a Pharos among the nations, to be herself the great in- 
strument of- giving light to the world." It is, however, only 
doing justice to the subject of these memoirs, to extract a few 
passages from the sermons in question, which convey his sen- 
timents on the fundamental truths of Christianity. 

" That which constitutes a Christian is * faith, hope, and 
charity ; these three.' Much human learning is not essential- 



340 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ly necessary to constitute a christian. Indeed, a man may be a 
profound theologian and not be a Christian at all. He may be 
learned in the doctrines and history of Christianity, and yet be 
a stranger to the fruits of Christianity. He may be destitute of 
faith, of hope, and of charity. 

" Let us not then confound the fruits of religion, namely, 
its influence on our moral conduct, its peace of mind, and hope 
of heaven, with the circumstances of religion. True religion 
is that which its great Author himself hath declared. It is a 
practical knowledge of the love of God the Father, ' who sent 
not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the 
world through him might be saved ;' of the atonement of God 
the Son, by faith in whom we receive the remission of our sins, 
and are justified in the sight of the Father, and of the sanctifica- 
tion of God the Holy Ghost, by which we are made meet • to 
become partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.' 
The preacher who can communicate this knowledge to his 
hearers, (and it is true that, if he possess a critical knowledge 
of the Bible, and of the history of Christianity, he will be 
likely to do it with the most success,) the same is a 4 work- 
man that needeth not to be ashamed, and a good minister of 
Jesus Christ.' 1 Tim. iv. 6. 

" Let every student in theology inquire whether the religion 
he professes bears the true character. Instead of shunning the 
reproach of Christ, his anxiety ought to be how he may pre- 
pare himself for that high and sacred office which he is about 
to enter. Let him examine himself, whether his views corres- 
pond, in any degree, with the character of the ministers of 
Christ, as recorded in the New Testament. l Wo is unto me 
if I preach not the gospel.' 1 Cor. ix. 16." 

Dr. Buchanan thought it to be his duty to conclude his dis- 
courses to the University with again delivering his testimony 
to that divine change which constitutes the essence of real 
Christianity. 

H This change of heart," he observes, " ever carries with 
it its own witness ; and it alone exhibits the same character 
among men of every clime. It bears the fruit of righteous- 
ness ; it affords the highest enjoyment of life which was in- 
tended by God, or is attainable by man ; it inspires the soul 
with a sense of pardon and of acceptance through the Redeemer ; 
it gives peace in death, and a * sure and certain hope of the re- 
surrection unto eternal life.' "* 

The substantial truth and honest freedom of these remarks 

* Dr. Buchanan's Eight Sermons, pp. 255, 289, 291. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAtf. 341 

were no less honourable to the preacher, than was u the can- 
did attention" with which he gratefully acknowledged they 
w r ere heard, to the learned body to whom they were addressed. 
It is scarcely necessary to add that the repetition of such sen- 
timents is far from being unseasonable. May they be univer- 
sally prevalent. 

It has already sufficiently appeared, in the course of these 
memoirs, that Dr. Buchanan was far from being a mere de- 
claimer, either as to the evils which he lamented, or the reme- 
dy which he proposed. With respect to the former, he did. 
not content himself with the representations of others, but ex- 
hibited the result of his own personal observations, and reveal- 
ed the gloomy recesses of Asiatic superstition, the " thick 
darkness"" which " covers the people" of that widely-extended 
region. Splendid too, and unlimited, as were the prospects 
which he unfolded of their illumination and relief, and san- 
guine as were the hopes which he indulged of their accomplish- 
ment, both were founded upon the vigorous and persevering 
adoption of the ordinary means within our power, and par- 
ticularly of the universal circulation of the Holy Scriptures. 

It was to the devlopment of both parts of this picture, of 
the light as well as of the shade, that Dr. Buchanan devoted 
his Christian Researches. He accordingly introduced them by 
an account of his own endeavours and those of Mr. Brown to 
promote the translation of the scriptures, and of his two jour- 
neys to the coast of Malabar, which have been before detailed. 
He then proceeded to notice, in a series of distinct articles, the 
Chinese, the Hindoos, with a particular reference to the rela- 
tive influence of paganism and Christianity, the Ceylonese and 
the Malays. The Syrian and Romish christians, and the in- 
quisition at Goa, form the next objects of attention in this in- 
teresting work ; which are followed by notices of the Per- 
sians, Arabians, and Jews, and of the versions of the scriptures 
which were then preparing, or the preparation of which was 
suggested, for the use of those various nations. The Bibli- 
otheca Biblica, or repository for Bibles, in the oriental languages, 
comprising a library for the use of translators of the scriptures, 
founded by the late Rev. D. Brown, is next adverted to; and, 
finally, the Armenian christians. Before Dr. Buchanan con- 
cluded his Researches, he recurred to the subject of his first 
memoir, and advanced some new and forcible arguments in 
support of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India. 

Though it has been thought necessary to give the preceding 
brief analysis of this important and valuable work, it will be 
obvious that more was not required ; not only on account of 

f f 2 



342 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

its great notoriety and extensive circulation, but because many* 
of the topics which it embraced have been already noticed in 
this narrative. The conclusion, however, of the Christian 
Researches demands more particular attention, because it com- 
prises what may be called the practical application of the 
whole. Dr. Buchanan, like Lord Bacon himself, aimed not so 
much at inculcating new principles, as at exciting a new spirit ; 
and, though he did, indeed, make some important discoveries, 
as to the moral necessities of an immense portion of the 
human race, it was one of his main objects to teach others to 
follow him in his course, and to point out the way to its suc- 
cessful pursuit. In this view the concluding observations of 
his work deserve the most serious consideration. 

M In the progress of these researches, the author has found 
his mind frequently drawn to consider the extraordinary dif- 
ference of opinion which exists, among men of learning, in 
regard to the importance and obligation of communicating reli- 
gious knowledge to our fellow creatures. And he has often 
heard the question asked by others, What can be the cause of 
this discrepancy of opinion ? For that such a difference does 
exist is most evident; and is exemplified at this moment in 
some of the most illustrious characters for rank and learning 
in the nation. This is a problem of a very interesting charac- 
ter at this day, and worthy of a distinct and ample discussion, 
particularly at the seats of learning. The problem may be 
thus expressed : ' What power is that which produces in the 
minds of some persons a real interest and concern in the wel- 
fare of their fellow creatures ; extending not only to the com- 
fort of their existence in this world, but to their felicity here- 
after; while other men, who are apparently in similar circum- 
stances as to learning and information, do not feel inclined to 
move one step for the promotion of such objects V The latter, 
it may be, can speculate on the philosophy of the human mind, 
on its great powers and high dignity, on the sublime virtue of 
universal benevolence, on the tyranny of superstition, and the 
slavery of ignorance ; and will sometimes quote the verse of 
the poet, 

* • Homo sum : humani nil a me alienum puto :' 

but they leave it to others, and generally to the christian in 
humble life, to exercise the spirit of that noble verse. This is 
a very difficult problem ; and it has been alleged, by some, that 
it cannot be solved on any known principles of philosophy. 
The following relation will probably lead to principles by 
which we may arrive at a solution." 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 843 

The solution of the problem thus proposed is derived by 
the author from the penitent humiliation of the great Baby- 
lonian conqueror, who, when "brought to himself," expressed 
the sincerity of his conversion to the knowledge of the true 
God, by proclaiming his greatness, asserting his glory, and 
inviting all nations to magnify him, and bow to his dominion.* 

"Such a proclamation," says Dr. Buchanan, "to the na- 
tions of the earth, was a noble act of a king, and ought to be 
had in perpetual remembrance. It reminds us of the last 
charge of Him ' who ascended up on high :' ■ Go, teach all 
nations.' It discovers to us the new and extended benevo- 
lence, greatness of mind, and pure and heavenly charity, which 
distinguish that man whose heart has been impressed by the^ 
grace of God. How solemn his sense of duty! How ardent 
to declare the glory of his Saviour ! His views for the good 
of men, how disinterested and enlarged ! It is but too evi- 
dent that all our speculations concerning a divine revelation, 
and the obligation imposed on us to study it ourselves, or to 
communicate it to others, are cold and uninteresting, and ex- 
cite not to action, ' until, through the tender compassion of 
God, the day-spring from on high visit us, to give light to them 
that sit in darkness :' to humble our hearts at the remembrance 
of our sins against God, and to affect them with a just admira- 
tion of his pardoning mercy. 

" Let Great Britain imitate the example of the Chaldean 
king, and send forth to all the world her ' testimony' concerning 
the true God. She also reigns over many nations which 
1 worship idols of wood and stone ;' and she ought, in like man- 
ner, to declare to them 4 the signs and wonders of the Al- 
mighty.' And in this design every individual w r ill concur, of 
every church, family, and name, whose heart has been pene- 
trated with just apprehensions of the Most High God, who 
has known his judgments, and experienced his mercy." 

The circulation of the Christian Researches was immense. 
The first edition of seventeen hundred copies was soon ex- 
hausted ; and, before the end of the year, three others had been 
printed. The labour, however, which their excellent author 
had undergone in preparing this interesting volume for the 
press, probably led to a painful, though apparently unimportant 
seizure, which was evidently the prelude to one of a more se- 
rious nature. It is to this illness that he refers in writing 
thus to a friend : 



* Daniel, chap. iv. 



344 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

"KiiiuY Hall, 19th Feb. 1811. 

14 1 have had an illness of a peculiar kind ; a slight debilitat- 
ing stroke, affecting the voice and right hand, of the paralytic 
kind. My hand is not itself yet, as you may see; nor is my 
voice perfectly restored. The faculty ascribe the immediate 
cause to study, a sedentary habit, and anxiety of mind on 
Mrs. B.'s illness. But, whatever the cause may be, it is a 
memento from the Lord that this is not my rest. Nor do I 
wish it to be so. 

* * * * " The town of Leeds have sent me an invita- 
tion to succeed the late Mr. Atkinson, their worthy minister, 
who died last week. I have not yet answered them ; but my 
late repeated attacks of illness will determine me to decline it. 
My constitution is evidently not settled sufficiently for laborious 
study. But the Lord is my shepherd. He will lead me in 
green pastures, and make darkness light before me. The peo- 
ple of Leeds deserve a better pastor than I am, and the Lord 
will be their shepherd also." 

"26th March. 

"I am now well enough to be able to write a iew lines. I 
have been gaining strength with the returning spring ; for I 
love the sun, and to look at it in this cold climate. It is a fine 
object in this evil world. But I like the sun chiefly as it is an 
emblem of 4 the Sun of Righteousness.' It gives light and 
heat. I love your letters for they have light and heat, reflected 
from the same glorious Luminary. 

44 You will be happy to hear that Mrs. L. has become a most 
serious and intelligent christian. Her only desire is to live to 
the glory of her Saviour. She weeps at the recollection of her 
obdurate heart in India, loves Mr. Brown, and thinks him 4 a 
man to be wondered at.' I mean to send two of her letters to 
Calcutta, and to ask whether they can show such things, in 
India ! Perhaps they will answer, 4 Yes, we can ; behold 
S .' 

" My love to Mrs. S. and the sufferer. Surely she must be 
all pure gold by this time. The dross and tin, a miner would 
say, must now be at the bottom of the furnace. 

44 1 have received letters from India so late as October. Mr. 
Martyn w T as expected in Calcutta, in fine health and spirits, 
with his Hindostanee and Arabic translations." 

As the spring advanced, Dr. Buchanan's physicians having 
agreed that his complaint w T as chiefly a nervous debility, for 
the removal of which cessation from study was desirable, he 
formed a plan with a view to an object which he had long 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 345 

cherished, and which might, he hoped, prove beneficial to his 
health. This was no less an undertaking than a voyage to 
Palestine, with the view of investigating subjects connected 
with the translation of the scriptures, and the extension of 
Christianity. We have already noticed his proposal of return- 
ing from India overland, for the purpose of visiting the churches 
in Mesopotamia and Syria, the names of upwards of one hun- 
dred of which he had received from the Syrian christians, and 
also of inquiring into the present circumstances of the Jews 
in those regions and in Palestine. This was the design to 
which he was now anxious to render an intermission from 
sedentary occupation subservient. Another object of Dr. Bu- 
chanan's inquiry, in his proposed visit to the Holy Land, was" 
to be the state of the Syriac printing press of Mount Lebanon, 
from which various works have issued ; and to ascertain whe- 
ther it might be practicable to establish presses in Jerusalem 
or Aleppo, for the Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac languages ; and 
to open a correspondence with England for their encourage- 
ment and support. He wished also to learn what language 
(with a view to the translation of the scripture) is most gene- 
rally used at this time in the Holy Land. 

It was Dr. Buchanan's intention to touch at Alexandria, in 
his voyage to Palestine, and to return from his tour by Lesser 
Asia, through the region of the seven primitive churches. He 
proposed to pass over from thence to Athens and Corinth, to 
visit the principal christian churches in Greece, and afterwards 
those of the larger islands in the Archipelago. A chief object 
here was to ascertain whether a translation of the scriptures 
in one dialect of modern Greek would suffice for the continent 
of Achaia and the Archipelago, (which he did not think to be 
likely,) or whether some principal dialects had not been already 
cultivated. 

In order to give publicity to his proposed voyage, Dr. Bu- 
chanan transmitted a notice of the preceding particulars to the 
Christian Observer,* adding a request that the queries of the 
learned concerning the present state of the countries he intend- 
ed to visit, in connexion with the promotion of Christianity, 
might be communicated to him, and intimating that he would 
take charge of Bibles for distribution in his way in Portugal, 
Spain, and Malta, and would endeavour to establish a channel 
of correspondence in those countries with England, for the sup- 
ply of the authorized version of each country respectively, as 



* For May, 1811, p, 321. 



346 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

far as the existing governments might be pleased to counte- 
nance the design. 

Such was the intention of Dr. Buchanan with respe 
distant and laborious undertaking. Greatlw however, as we 
must admire the ardour of his piety, which could prompt him 

ran such a plan, it was, perhaps, originally of too e.\ 
sive and difficult a nature for the already debilitated sta:e oJ 
constitution. He seems, in some measure, to have felt t 
announcing it to a friend, to whom he sent a notice < 
sign, adding. " I cannot tell the purposes of Provu; 
Perhaps I may lay my bones in the Holy L 

Towards the end of May Dr. Buchanan paid a shor is 
Buxton, where, intent as usual on doing good, he eml: 
the opportunity of preaching a sermon, the occasion of which 
may be explained in his own vroida : 

"BtnCT©*, s: lone, 1811. 

11 Having had some revival of spirits Last 

I was not willing to allow the day of Penta st 1 pass with- 
out notice, particularly as the company here were desirous that 
I should preach. Viewing them from my window ail day drink- 
ing at the medicinal w'aters, I composed a hn v. 
2. 3. I,* which I delivered y v a great 
dining-room here: Captain Payne, aid-de-eamj] to Lord Wel- 
lington, who ieturned wo. ..: Bus 

--.--—, _ >-. | 

clerk. This sermon I mean to publish immediately. the 

benefit of the company during the gay season. I shall not, 
however, send it to the press till my return to Kirbv Hall, 
(whither we go on the 5th or 6th inst.,) for I have m C : .- 
cordance here, nor indeed any other book than the Bible." 

The sermon thus hastily, but benevolently com ised, waa 
published in the course of the summer, under the tide oi " The 
Healing Waters of Bethesda." I; was, as might be e 
altogether of a practical nature. Bin. though :" that 

peculiar attraction which his preceding publications derived 
from their connexion with oriental J with 

sound scriptural instruction. 11 calculated to aw? 

in the minds of those to whom it w a ginally addressed, a 



* ■ Now there is at Jerusalf - .eep-markr 

the Hebrew tongue Betbe>da, having five porefiea In these lay 
twde of impotent folk, o{ blind, halt, withered, waiting fur 
water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool 
the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the : 
wa^s made wh-'le o:~ ••'• ,::r-er i.s ~a.se he had. v 



Memoirs of dr. Buchanan. 347 

salutary train of feeling and reflection, and to lead them to as- 
sociate with the spring, to which they were resorting for bodily 
health, the thought of that heavenly fountain which can alone 
purify and refresh the soul, and strengthen it unto life ever- 
lasting. 

In the month of June Dr. Buchanan wrote to Colonel Sandys 
as follows: 

" Kirby Hall, 24th June, 1811* 

11 I have lately returned from Buxton, whither I was sent to 
drink the medical waters. I have not found much benefit from 
them ; but we now proceed to Scarborough, and I doubt not I 
shall be refreshed by the sea air. 

" I shall probably leave England in autumn, and be absent' 
about a year. Had any important spiritual charge been assign- 
ed to me, I should not have thought of leaving England again ; 
but circumstances at present are very favourable to a temporary 
absence. I mean to go down to Scotland in a few weeks 
hence, to take leave of my mother, who is in a declining state, 
and does not expect (or perhaps hope) to pass through this 
next winter. 

44 I have a good appetite, generally, and sleep well ; but, when 
I speak, my spirits are easily hurried, and the slightest exercise 
fatigues me. 

44 1 hope that you and your family continue well, and more par- 
ticularly that 4 your soul prospereth.' I make a little progress, 
perhaps, but it is scarcely sensible. When I stand on Cal- 
vary, (if it be given me to see it,) I hope my spirits will be 
refreshed, and my affections enlivened to love and serve the 
Lord who suffered there. — May I have a single eye to his 
glory." 

" Scarborough, 20th July. 

44 The Bethesda Sermon arrived yesterday. One hundred 
copies have been sent here, and sell rapidly. I seldom see 
any review ; for I wish to be hid from the strife of tongues. 

44 1 am willing to go 4 through evil report' unto the end. That 
is not my cross. 

44 We set off to-morrow for Scotland. I have acquired but 
little strength at Scarborough. The change of air in the north 
may possibly be more beneficial to me." 

"Greenock, 5th August. 
44 1 have found my mother in tolerable health of body and 
in high spiritual health at seventy-five. She astonishes Mrs. 



348 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Buchanan by her eloquence on the prophecies, which she 
utters in hard words, without affecting at all the English lan- 
guage. She can read the Bethesda without spectacles, and 
likes it better than the Star in the East. 

44 We have seen and entertained almost all the Greenock 
clergy, and have visited some of the best religious families. In 
a few days we return to Glasgow. Your future communica- 
tions must be addressed to Kirby Hall, for I know not where 
we shall be in ten days hence. 

44 I find the sea air more refreshing here than at Scarborough. 
Somewhere in Bute is now reckoned the Montpelier of Scot- 
land. It boasts, it seems, many recoveries from consumptions. 
I consulted the Edingburgh faculty in passing. Dr. Gregory 
delivered to me five quarto pages composed oracularly on the 
subject of my complaint, which he seems to understand well. 
The length of this letter will intimate I am rather stronger 
than before." 

" Glasgow, 18th September. 

44 1 have been favoured with your letter of the 10th inst. en- 
closing Mr. H.'s dedication. He seems animated by a noble 
spirit. I have had a letter from himself, and have recommend- 
ed him to enlist under the banners of the Society for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge, and to think nothing of the Syrians, till 
he have passed a tranquil year in the bosom of his family in 
Coromandel. Thence he may proceed where he likes. He 
asked me what would be his principal difficulty. I told him it 
would be learning Malay alim (which is more useful than the 
Syriac) in his old age ! 

44 The companion of my tour to Syria is already engaged ; a 
fellow of a college in Oxford, whom I met at Scarborough, 
the son of a family intimate with that at Kirby Hall ; a young 
man of strong health, good learning, good sense, and good for- 
tune ; of sound theology, and one who is likely to become an 
author. 

44 As to Rothley Temple, if it be practicable, we shall visit 
it ; but the season advances, and we have not got through Ire- 
land yet. 

44 We proceed on Monday next to Lainshaw, the abode of 
Mr. Cunninghame, late of India, and thence, by Ayr, to port 
Patrick. Letters addressed to me, at the post office, Dublin, 
will find me till the 20th of October." 

Early in November Dr. Buchanan returned from his tour to 
Kirby Hall, from whence he gave his friends a sketch of that 
part of it which has not been yet mentioned. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 349 

" Kihbt Hall, November 20th. 
" We arrived at this place about ten days since, and found 
all our family well. We spent a month in Ireland, and about 
a fortnight in Wales. Mrs. B. liked the tour very well, for we 
found friends everywhere. I am glad that I have had an op- 
portunity of surveying the state of religion in Ireland. I had 
much intercourse with the members of Dublin College, and 
hope to engage them in the support of evangelizing plans. 
They seem in general animated by a good spirit. 

" 1 visited Maynooth College, and investigated the Catholic 
question. I could consult the best authorities on both sides. 
My opinion is that Maynooth College may be extended with 
safety. It has already added to the number of Protestants y 
and the Roman Catholic bishops begin to be alarmed at the 
light and knowledge which proceed from it. I saw Messrs. C. 
and C, the priests who have recanted. They preach in Dub- 
lin ; but when I arrived they had not received any cure or sup- 
port from church or state. I expressed my astonishment at the 
delay and marked indifference which seemed to pervade the 
Protestant church on the subject. Government has now 
espoused the cause of the young men, and ordained them 
immediate provision and a cure in the church. They both 
appear to me to be converts on conviction. 

" 1 passed a day with the Bishop of Bangor in my way 
through Wales. We had much conference on the state 
of religion. He is candid and earnest to do good in the 
church. 

" The Scotch Kirk have almost w r holly ceased to read the 
scriptures as a part of divine service. I have noticed the sub- 
ject in the fourth edition of the Christian Researches now 
printing. 

" I have proposed to the University of Cambridge to print 
an edition of the Syriac Scriptures ; and have offered a con- 
siderable sum to commence; but I have not yet had their 
answer. I promised to send the scriptures to the Syrian chris- 
tians, and am ashamed of the delay. 

" I have gained a little strength by the journey, but I am 
easily exhausted." 

In the autumn of this year arrived Mr. Martyn's eloquent 
and successful appeal, in a sermon at Calcutta, on the 1st of 
January, in behalf of nine hundred thousand Christians in 
India, who were in want of the Bible ; together with the gra- 
tifying intelligence of the formation of an Auxiliary Bible So- 
ciety at that Presidency, at the head of which appeared some 

Gg 



350 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

of the chief members of the supreme government.* The let- 
ters which announced this auspicious event brought informa- 
tion also of the revival of the college of Fort William as a 



* The Society whose formation is here noticed has been remarkable for its 
energy and zeal in promoting translation* of the scriptures, and circulating 
them in the countries of the East. Previous to the year 1835 it had distributed 
17,113 copies of the scriptures. The following remarks in relation to its esta- 
blishment, and the benefits arising from the circulation of the scriptures in India, 
are from the address of Archdeacon (now bishop) Cojirie, at the meeting of the 
British and Foreign Bible Society, in 1835. — Am. Ed. 

44 At the period of the formation of this Society," [1804,] ' 4 when I went to 
that sphere of labour to which Divine Providence, about that time, called me, 
namely, to the Chief Presidency of India, the scriptures, even in the English 
language, were extremely scarce there, and only to be had at a very enormous 
price. Pocket Bibles of the most common kind, and in the plainest and meanest 
binding, were not to be bought in the bazaars of Calcutta under a pound sterl- 
ing each. You will conclude, therefore, that Bibles were not plentiful among 
the military, to whom my labours were, at first, in a great measure confined. 
But no sooner did we hear of the formation of this Society in England, than 
a small band set about endeavouring to procure assistance from it : and we did 
procure the scriptures in the English language. With what thankfulness and 
joy did we receive the first supply sent out from this country ! There was 
still, however, a great want of the scriptures in South Ir.«Jia ; and a lamentable 
deficiency began to appear among those who professed the Christian name. 
This formed a sufficient plea — a plea which the most jealous in that country 
could not withstand — for the formation of an Auxiliary Society in Calcutta; 
and the call was responded to far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. 
Ladies contributed their ornaments and the superfluous portion of their dress ; 
and, in a few days, not less than lOOOZ. sterling was sent to the treasurer. An 
opportunity was now afforded for encouraging the translation of the scriptures 
into the languages of the East ; and the work was set about accordingly. 

•' But at that time there was no disposition, generally speaking, in ihe minds 
of the natives of the East to receive the scriptures. I well remember that 
the first offer which I made of the scriptures to a native, was heard with sur- 
prise ; suspicion began to take possession of his mind : he retreated gra- 
dually ; and at length turned about, and flew away, as from a plague. But, by 
the persevering labour of faithful men, and by selecting the principal narrative 
portions of the scriptures to be read in the schools which were commenced in 
that country, light began to diffuse itself; by degrees, the scriptures were in- 
troduced into the languages of various provinces : and now 1 am happy to state 
that they not only are not refused, but are generally sought after by the heathen 
and Mahometan population of Northern India. And not only are they sought 
after, but we have assurance that they are read: it is a remarkable fact that, 
within the l.-st two years, a few have begun to oppose Christianity, as infidels 
have done in England, by arguments drawn from the Bible itself— which is a 
sure proof that the scriptures are read. The domestic chaplain (as I may call 
him) of the King of Oude drew up a pamphlet, extracted from the Prophecies 
and Gospels, in favour of Mahornetanism, which he called "Glad Tidings:" 
and though, as it may he conceived, his arguments were very futile, yet it is 
another fact to prove that the circulation of the scriptures in their own language 
has not been in vain. 

44 Moreover we have instances of the good effect which these scriptures, by 
the blessing of God, produce. We offer the scriptures on the faith of that 
promise, that his word shall not return to him void. We give them as the 
word of the living God, and leave the consequence to him. In our schools, I 
recollect a youth, in appearance about sixteen, who was reading a chapter in 
St. Matthew's Gospel ; when, all at once, he rose up, and said to the missionary. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 351 

fountain of scriptural translation, and a communication from 
Mr. Brown to Dr. Buchanan ; the following extract from which, 
considering the circumstances of his departure from Calcutta, 
could not but afford him the liveliest satisfaction : 

" Pagoda, Serampork, 5th March, 1811. 

" You are truly the root of our Bible Society. I have had 
long and full discussions with Lord Minto on all subjects of re- 
ligion, missions, scriptures, (fee. ; and he is very desirous to 
tread back his steps and to atone for the mistake which he made 
at the beginning of his government. 

" Your letter prepared the way for this reflux of sentiment. 
Neither that, nor the Chinese, nor any part of your labours^ 
has fallen to the ground. Therefore go forward ; and obtain 
the crown of righteousness which is before you." 

On the 6th of December, Dr. Buchanan wrote to his 
friend, Mr. Macaulay, respecting new editions of his publica- 
tions ; desiring it to be observed in the dedication of his Me- 
moir to the present Archbishop, that, although he had " deem- 
ed it right to make a few verbal alterations, he had seen no 
cause to change any one material sentiment of the work." In 
the same letter he intimated his intention of proceeding on his 
proposed voyage early in the month of February following. 
A few days, however, only had elapsed before a second and 
more alarming attack suspended, and ultimately dissipated, all 
thoughts of accomplishing that extensive and interesting under- 
taking. His letter upon this trying occasion exhibits his cha- 
racteristic piety and submission, and is as follows : 

Kirby Hall, 17th December, 1811. 
" My dear Sir, — I must use the hand of another to inform 
you that I was visited last week by an illness of the same na- 
ture with that in the beginning of the year. I have had a second 
paralytic stroke, affecting the half of my head and body, and 
forming a complete hemiplegia. My voice is not much affect- 
ed, and the numbness is slight. But yet I consider that this 
may be a precursor of a third and last call to quit my earthly 
mansion. I view it, therefore, as a most merciful dispensation, 
and hope I shall ever retain my present thankful sense of the 

* Sir, I wish to be baptized.' The missionary said, * Why?' He said, laying 
his hand upon his heart, « I am sure this is the word of God.' Many similar 
instances might be mentioned of the good effect produced by a simple reading 
of the scriptures. It is also a gratifying cireumstmce, that our most efficient 
teachers were formerly heathen schoolmasters, who now instruct the children 
pat of the word of God, having themselves received the truth in the love of it." 



352 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Lord's gracious mode of bidding me prepare for my journey, 
and of calling me gradually to himself. Whether this event 
will hasten me to a warmer climate, or whether I shall wait the 
Lord's will at home, I have not yet determined. 

44 I had just finished the revision of my sermons when I v. as 
attacked ; and I suppose they are now in the hands of the 
printers. If you should recollect any thing faulty in them, I 
hope you will send for the proof sheets. 

44 1 remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

" 0. Buchanan.'' 

On the 2d of January, 1812, Dr. Buchanan had recovered 
sufficiently from his late attack to resume wiih a faint and 
tremhling hand his correspondence with his friends. 

44 My hand is recovering from the paralysis, and 1 can jus; 
hold the pen to inform you that scarcely any thing remains of 
ray indisposition but extreme weakness. The faculty think 
they have at last discovered the source of my complaints, and 
have taken away about five pounds of blood. This has afford- 
ed a most sensible relief to my breathing, and has given rest 
during sleep, which before I had not. In addition, they have 
low r ered and attenuated the body during the last month ; so that 
all things are new. If, when the body is thus regenerated, the 
soul could also be renewed, it would be a salutary illness. I 
can indeed say, and with great thankfulness, that my soul has 
had more spiritual communion with God than formerly. It 
would be a blessed thing were it always to remain as it has been. 

44 1 wondered at the peace I felt in the prospect of departing 
this life. It was perhaps greater than it will he when the time 
comes. 4 Whoso endureth unto the end shall be saved.' 

4i Yesterday Cadell published the second edition of my 
memoir in octavo, Two editions of it were published in 
America this last year. On the 1st of February I hope all 
my sermons revised will be published in one volume. 

44 The University of Cambridge has done valorously, as 
you have seen. What fine youths these will be to preach to 
the people when you and I have winged our flight j" 

Notwithstanding the severe shock which the constitution of 
Dr. Buchanan had received by his late paralytic seizure, the 
powers of his mind were evidently unimpaired, and, amidst 
great debility and languor, he retained all his ardour in pro- 
moting the cause of Christianity in the world. This was very 
shortly evinced by the following communication to a friend, 
who had apprised him of an incorrect and injurious statement 
which, on the authority of the Danish missionaries in India, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 353 

had been inserted in the Report of the Society for Promoting 
Christian Knowledge for the year 1811, respecting the Syrian 
Christians in Travancore. The substance of this communica- 
tion^ was afterwards introduced into an able article in the Chris- 
tian Observer,* forming a most satisfactory vindication of that 
interesting body of christians. The original observations, 
however, of Dr. Buchanan may still be acceptable to those who 
may retain any doubts upon the subject to which they relate. 

"Kttiby Hall, 18th Jan. 1812. 
" All my books and MSS., concerning the Syrian christians, 
1 deposited in the University Library, Cambridge; but I shall 
de-ire Mr. Yeates to look over the liturgy of the Syrians, and, 
if he can find the passage in which they abjure the errors of 
the Nestorhns. to send it to you. When I passed through the 
Danish missionaries on the coast of Coromandel, on my way 
to Malabar, they told me the same things concerning the Sy- 
rians, which they have now stated to the society ; but when I 
arrived in Malay ala, I found they knew no more of the Sy- 
rian christians in that region, than people in England know of 
the Syrian christians in Cyprus, I suppose the missionaries 
have written thus by way of offering some apology for not ad- 
vising the society to assist the Syrian christians. 

" In regard to an official union, it is scarcely practicable, in 
present circumstances, and need not be tho.ight of; but there 
is nothing to prevent a friendly connexion, or, as the bishop 
expressed it, ' such a connexion as should appear to both 
churches practicable and expedient.' The Romish church long 
solicited such an union, but could not attain it ; nor did they 
regard their formerly having had (if, indeed, they ever had) 
Nestorian bishops, provided they would now qualify their sys- 
tem a little. They might even say mass in another tongue 
than Latin. But the missionaries cannot yield so much as 
this ! 

" The truth concerning the Syrians will be found, I allege, 
in my more full account of them, published by the Bishop of 
London.! "* Their liturgy is derived from that of the early 
church of Antioch, called Liturgia Jacobi ApostolL They 
are usually denominated Jacobitse ; but they differ in ceremonial 
from the church of that name in Syria, and, indeed, from any 
existing church in the world.' 

" That they worship the Virgin Mary is a flagrant error of 

* Vol. \\. p. 105. 

t In 1807. See the Christian Observer for that year. 

Gg3 



354 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

speech. The practice might as well be charged on the Church 
of England.* 

" In regard to their morals, learning, and civil state, I have 
merely recounted the conversations I had with their most 
learned members and noticed that * I perceived all around 
symptoms of poverty and political depression :' that they were 
in a degenerate state, yet 'like a people who had known better 
days.' I also notice that ■ they have some ceremonies nearly 
allied to those of the Greek church ;' and I intimated to the 
bishop ■ that there were some rites and practices in the Syrian 
church, which our church might consider objectionable or nu- 
gatory.' If I have not filled my page with these particulars, 
it was because 1 had no pleasure in describing them. Finding 
a church in their peculiar situation, possessing the Bible, and 
abjuring the Romish corruptions, what more was required to 
make them an useful people in evangelizing that dark region ? 
And it is not decorous in the Church of England to seem to 
take pleasure in holding up to a kind of opprobrium an ancient 
people, found in such interesting circumstances ; possessing, 
too, an ordination with which ours is scarcely to be compared. 
A former president of the Bartlett's Buildings Society (Arch- 
bishop Wake) negotiated for an union with Rome herself! 

" As to the moral and civil state of the Syrians, Dr. Kerr 
has given them a higher character than I have, in his official 
document to the Madras government, which, on this subject, 
may now be quoted as a proper authority. All that he has 
Sflid also concerning the facility and expediency of an union, 
may now be pressed with much advantage ; for Dr. K. was 



* A very different statement respecting the Syrian christians has been lately 
published in a letter from the Abbe Dubois, a Romish missionary in Mysore, in- 
serted in the second report of the Bombay Auxiliary Bible Society. The re- 
spectability of the quarter from which this document has proceeded, may natu- 
rally seem to claim for it a considerable degree of credit But whatever may 
be its value, as to points within the writer's own knowledge, it is undoubtedly 
erroneous as to the Syrian christians. INor can this be a matter of surprise 
when it is considered that all his information concerning them is confessedly 
derived from other persons, who may, very probably, like himself, have never 
visited them, and be members of a church whose tyranny and oppression the 
Syrian christians in Travancore have for ages nobly resisted. "This sect," 
observes the Abbe, " still obstinately adheres to the religious tenets held by the 
heresiarch Nestorins." It is, however, somewhat extraordinary that the late 
venerable motropolitan of the Syrian church, in an official communication lo 
General Maeauiay, then resident at the court of Travancore, distinctly dis- 
claimed the errors of Nestorius, as well as those of other heretics; and that Dr 
Buchanan and Dr. Kerr agree in representing their creed as not materially dif- 
fering from that of our own church. It may be added, that their account of 
them is substantially the same as that of La Croze, Assemannus, and Mosheim. 
For further information upon this subject, the reader is referred to Dr. Buchan- 
an's Christian Researches, and to the Christian Observer for December, 18J6. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 355 

sent from the very place where the Danish missionaries dwell, 
to obtain information for government. 

44 But, on this subject, Colonel Macaulay is the highest au- 
thority in the world. If he will address the society in a re- 
spectful, conciliating manner, and urge the incontrovertible facts 
founded on his own knowledge and Dr. Kerr's official report, 
it will have immense effect. 

44 He may observe that an union is not to be thought of at 
present, on account of political considerations ; but that such 
an interesting people deserve our countenance and every aid 
for mental improvement, by assisting them in the translation 
of the scriptures, and encouraging them to hold out against the 
Romish church. They are also proper subjects of occasional 
pecuniary assistance : for the oppression of the Hindoo govern-" 
ment has of late been very great: but for the future they w T ill, 
perhaps, be able to retain what they acquire. 

44 It would be proper that Colonel Macaulay should mention 
his own political transactions with the Travancore and the 
English governments on their behalf, and on behalf of the Ro- 
mish Syrians. For they also want the Bible. 

44 My hand, you see, is a little better ; but I am by no means 
strong. I can only sit up half an hour at a time." 

It is surely to be lamented that no application was made on 
the part of the society to the two persons best qualified to 
afford information upon this subject, Dr. Buchanan and General 
Macaulay ; and that no steps appear to have been taken to 
communicate that encouragement and support which the 
Church of England is plainly bound to extend to a community 
of christians thus brought into such immediate contact with the 
British government. 

In the meantime, Dr. Buchanan continued his own exertions 
with a view to supply the Syrian christians with a translation 
of the scriptures. Thus he wrote in February and March to 
Mr. Macaulay : 

44 1 enclose a letter, which I wish to go by this fleet. It is 
to give money to Timapah Pulle, who superintends the Ma- 
layalim version at Bombay. 

44 1 have received a copy of the second edition of the memoir, 
and immediately discovered improvements. Many thanks to 
you for this service. And yet I have little satisfaction in look- 
ing at the book. I wish now to flee away to regions of peace 
with the wings of a dove — and be at rest." 

" Kirbt Hall, 7lh March. 
44 The day after I wrote to you last, I was obliged to leave 



356 MKMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN'. 

the writing table entirely, and have not resumed it since. The 
sensation of paralysis is hut Blight, hut it appears to be now 
permanent ; at least during the cold season. 

" 26th March. 

44 La Croze and Geddes are the principal authors for 's 

purpose, and I have neither. 

44 Gouvea, and Bartolomeo's India Christiana, and other 
curious works, I deposited, together with ihe MSS., at Cam- 
bridge. 

44 If you could call on Mr. Yeates, he could possibly furnish 
you with La Crnze, or Simon, or Assemnnnus. It is a fine 

subject for 's contemplation, and one which would grcatlv 

interest the public mind. A few pages only, however, will 
suffice for the society. But, after lie has done that, he may 
possibly meditate a larger work. These are times when every 
thin? a man has, which may be in any way for the advantage 
of Christianity, ought to be given to the world. For we shall 
soon die, and then shall * all our thoughts perish. 1 

41 Mr. Yeates writes thus in a late letter. 4 Simon, in his 
Critical History of the Religion and Customs of the Eastern 
Nations, has ably vindicated the Syrian christians against the 
Catholics, and exposed their rage and persecution as the result 
of papal tyranny. I have read so much in Assemannns and 
other authors, as to know that the Syrian christians are the 
Protestants of the East. The Church of England, as a National 
Church, cannot extend her assistance to greater advantage, 
than in restoring and building up the ruins of the Syrian com- 
munion in Antioch, Mesopotamia, and India, by the immediate 
dispersion of copies of the scriptures. And when this is done, 
they will supply missionaries for the extension of the chris- 
tian faith among the Mahometans and pagans.' 

44 I rejoice to hear that 4 Ethiopia does not stretrh out her 
hands' in vain. This will be a great accession of fame to the 
Bible Society. The University will not lend out my Ethiopic 
Gospel. You must send a person to transcribe it in the public 
library. If you should find any difficulty in the access, I will 
give you a note to the Yice-Chancelloiy' 

The next subject to which the attention of Dr. Buchanan 
was directed was that to which he had devoted his memoir, 
and which he had ever considered as of primary and funda- 
mental importance. This was the organization of a more ex- 
tensive Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India. The 
time was now approaching for the renewal of the charter of 
the East India Company ; and the friends of religion were 






MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 357 

anxious to improve this opportunity of pressing the considera- 
tion of the measure in question upon the attention of govern- 
ment and of the legislature. It was evident that no man was 
better qualified to suggest the best method of proceeding upon 
this occasion than Dr. Buchanan. Some distinguished per- 
sons, who took a lively interest in this weighty subject, ac- 
cordingly applied to him to prepare a sketch of what he might 
deem advisable with respect to the proposed establishment, for 
the purpose of submitting it to the consideration of his ma- 
jesty's ministers, and of others particularly concerned in the 
determination of this question. 

It was with this important point that the correspondence of 
Dr. Buchanan was occupied during the spring and summer of' 
this year. The following extracts from his letters to Mr. 
Macaulay will exhibit not only his zeal, but his piety and 
judgment respecting the accomplishment of the great measure 
which he had so long advocated : 

" Kirby Hall, March, 1812. 

"India has scarcely crossed my mind since I wrote to you 
last ; I mean in regard to legislative measures. I do not ex- 
pect to be able to do any thing till the warm weather approach. 
Mr. Wilberforce writes to me that the Anglo-Indians question 
the fact of the burning of women stated in my memoir ; and I 
read in the British Review that they doubt that of the self-de- 
votementof a man at Ishera, stated in my researches under the 
article 'Juggernaut in Bengal.' I shall pen two sentences 
below on each of these subjects, which you may use as occa- 
sion may serve. 

" Short as the above letter is, I have been nearly two days 
in writing it ; and I do not now find myself able to finish my 
two sentences. I hope to recruit in a day or two, when I shall 
send them." 

The two sentences thus meditated, branched out into two 
sheets ; the substance of which afterwards appeared in the 
Christian Observer.* 

Dr. Buchanan's next letter is as follows : 



* For April 1812. In this paper it is stated that the calculation in question 
as to the number of women burned in the vicinity of Calcutta during a given 
period, was inserted in Dr. Buchanan's memoir on the authority of an official 
report to the College of Fort William, when the officers of that institution were 
collecting information to serve as an authentic record upon the subject of this 
female sacrifice. The truth of the fact respecting the self-devotement at Ishera 
was declared to rest upon the authority of the late Rev. D. Brown, whose coun- 
try-house was near the spot referred to. 



3f)8 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Kibbt Hall, 13th April, 1812. 

44 My dear Sir, — I send to you and Mr. Wilberforce by this 
day's mail a Prospectus of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for 
India. I will thank you to submit it to Mr. Grant and Lord 
Teign mouth ; and I shall be obliged to them to make such al- 
terations in it as they shall think proper. If they suggest any 
thing which you and Mr. W. approve, be pleased to incorpo- 
rate it, and to revise the whole according to your judgment. 

44 1 then wish you to send one copy to Mr. Perceval, and 
another (o the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

44 When you are ready let me know, and I will send a note 
to accompany each copy. From Mr. Perceval I have lately 
received a very kind loiter, in which he professes to have 4 a 
respect for my character and exertions.' 

44 If, after you have sent in the copies, you should think that 
any part of the prospectus might be useful to Parliament, you 
may publish it in such form, and with such addition as you 
please, with my name or without it. 

44 1 am much obliged to you for offering to do me service, if 
I can move southward ; but now that you have the prospectus, 
you will not want me. I certainly should not have written it, 
if you had not pressed the subject. I can scarcely at present 
walk down stairs without help. As soon as the season opens 
a little, I propose to go to Scarborough for the benefit of the 
warm baths at that place. I am now seeking the comfort of 
the Holy Scriptures, and their promises ; and love to contem- 
plate Augustine and Luther. I look forward to nothing in this 
life but these two things, repentance, with bitter tears for past 
sins, and joy in the Holy Ghost. These two blessings I am 
encouraged to look for, for they are promised to sinners ; they 
are 4 the gifts to the rebellious.' In the meantime I pray to 
do the will of God, and to use my voice, my pen, or my feet, 
as he wishes me, while these members have any strength for 
his service. 

44 My dear sir, very sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 

44 Z. Macaulay, Esq" 

The sketch of an Ecclesiastical Establishment, mentioned in 
the preceding letter, was not only transmitted to his majesty's 
ministers, and to other distinguished individuals, but com- 
municated to the East India Mission Committee of the Society 
for Promoting Christian Knowledge, through Mr. Wilberfore, 
on the 1st of June. It was received by them with expressions 
of approbation, and of entire concurrence in the views of its 
author ; and an abstract of it having been reported by that 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 359 

committee to a general meeting of the society, held on the 23d 
of that month, a series of important resolutions, in support of 
the measure thus proposed, as well as in favour of the general 
duty of promoting Christianity amongst our Indian fellow sub- 
jects, European and native, were moved and adopted. 

The following passage from a letter to a friend, who had 
suggested an alteration in a part of his " Sketch/' will show, 
amongst other instances of a similar nature, how far Dr. Bu- 
chanan was from an unbending or disputatious temper: 

" I am just favoured with your letter, and am greatly obliged 
to you for writing it. I consent to the section being omitted, 
and to the word ■ colonization' not appearing in the whole 
book. 

" I am only anxious that the cause of God should have due 
honour, and that l exclusion of christian teachers in Asia' 
should be plainly represented as repugnant to God's will and 
revealed word. These are days of great measures. When 
we stand upon the Rock, we need not fear the conflicting cur- 
rents of public opinion. But it is right to avoid obnoxious 
terms if we can ; and if an object is likely to be attained with- 
out fighting for it, it is best." 

Dr. Buchanan was, however, at this time by no means 
sanguine as to the success of the proposed establishment, 
though he rejoiced in the progress of Christianity in other 
quarters. The following is from a letter to Colonel Sandys 
in April : 

" I had very little pleasure in writing further on the sub- 
ject ; but, as I had given a beginning, I thought I would give 
the end. It is not probable that any thing of importance will 
be done. We ought to be satisfied with the great doings of 
the present day. Indeed the Bible Society's triumphs have 
been so great of late, that it is time (according to the usual dis- 
pensations in relation to the gospel) we should look for a check, 
to humble us a little, and keep us in our proper place. 

" Since my return from Ireland, I have been much engaged 
with correspondence from that kingdom. There is a fine 
evangelical spirit, even amongst the nobility. I had urged 
Trinity College, Dublin, to organize a Bible Society. The 
students were for it ; the elder members against it. Matters, 
at this moment, are very interesting. The Irish want the Bible 
almost as much as the Hindoos. 

" My affectionate remembrance to Mrs. S. and Miss J., not 
forgetting Claudius, (look into xWilner's History, for the life of 
Claudius, of Turin. I have just discovered in a volume of 
Archbishop Usher's, that there is a manuscript Commentary 



360 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

on St. Matthew in the library of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, 
by this very Claudius : a fact which Mr. Milner does not seem 
to have known,) who, for the reason stated in the parenthesis, 
must go to Pembroke Hall, as a student of divinity. My 
namesakes must not go about with flint and steel. There is a 
higher warfare for them ; in which I hope you are all fighting, 
and are more than conquerors through Him who hath loved us. 
"I am, affectionately yours, C. Buchanan." 

The beginning of the following month was marked by the 
appearance of some symptoms favourable to the intended mea- 
sure respecting India, but clouded by the melancholy intel- 
ligence of the assassination of Mr. Perceval. Dr. Buchanan's 
observations on that lamentable event will be read with in- 
terest. 

" Kirby Hall, 15th May, 1812. 

" I had a note from Lord Buckinghamshire thanking me for 
the Prospectus, and acknowledging its importance ; conclud- 
ing with — 4 You may be assured that it will receive from me 
all the attention to which it is entitled.' Another note from 
Mr. Perceval to the same effect. Happy Perceval ! if he have 
died in the faith, as I have long believed he lived. In my last 
letter to him (about a month ago) there is the following sen- 
tence. » One thing is certain,' (I had been alluding to his diffi- 
culties, and the state of public affairs,) ' and it must be a sub- 
ject of permanent comfort to your own mind, that however the 
course of affairs may lead you in future life, good has already 
been done under your administration, which cannot be undone; 
and even if life itself should ?iot be long vouchsafed, you 
would depart with the consciousness,' &c. &c. 

" I have been trying to move the general assembly to notice 
the extension of religion in India. I have also urged Cam- 
bridge to petition Parliament on the subject. If an university, 
which has permitted its members to portray so often the bless- 
ing of giving Christianity to India, should hesitate to recom- 
mend the measure, who can be expected to support it ? 

"I continue in an equable state of health. I can walk for 
about ten minutes at a time, but my weakness is very great, 
particularly in my limbs, which start and throb very much in 
bed, sometimes during the whole night. Last night an ex- 
periment was made of applying leeches to one foot. The con- 
sequence was, the throbbing ceased in that foot, and was more 
severe in the other. 

" I am happy to hear that is better, and with you. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 361 

He may probably be offered a command in Asia, in the course 
of a year or two. In the meanwhile, time flies, assassins fire 
shots, and we hear the voice, 4 Be ye also ready.' I doubt not 
but the death of Mr. Perceval will give life to the religion of 
many a man in England. Some men will feel it as sensibly as 
if he had been a member of their own family." 

In the month of June Dr. Buchanan proceeded to Scar- 
borough, from whence he proposed a visit to the Bishop of 
Durham, and then to the Bishop of LlandarT, and the lakes of 
Westmoreland. This latter plan, however, he was compelled 
to relinquish, on rinding that the exercise of a carriage was as 
yet too much for him. From Scarborough he wrote the fol- 
lowing letter to his daughters ; ending with a confirmation of 
his hopes respecting India. 

u Scahboboxjgh, 18th July, 1812. 
** I had the pleasure to receive your letter, Augusta, by Dr. 
B., and was much gratified by the perusal; and I have seen 
Charlotte^s letter to her mamma, which is equally pleasing to 
me ; for in both letters I think I perceive a love of piety, or at 
least a wish that you could love it. It is indeed so amiable a 
quality in young persons, that I cannot contemplate them with 
any pleasure, if they be destitute of it. For what are all other 
acquirements or possessions compared with this ? Nothing. I 
wish you both to possess that which will give you hope, and 
me comfort, in the prospect of your dissolution. I wish to see 
you smile, and have inward peace, when you are shutting your 
eyes on the glories of life. But they are not glories. They 
are vanities. / cannot make you believe this. The grace of 
God alone can teach you this truth. And this grace is given 
oftentimes to children as young as you. When Christ said, 
* Surfer little children to come unto me,' and when he quoted 
the Psalms to the Jews, where it is said, ' Out of the mouths 
of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise,' he meant to 
intimate that the grace of God is communicated to young chil- 
dren as well as to old persons ; and that children may adorn 
the gospel by the beauty and piety of their conduct as well as 
the aged christian. But how is this grace to be attained ? It 
will not be given to you unless you intreat God to bestow it. 
That is an ordinance or rule of God. And it will not do to 
ask in words only, in a formal way ; but you must ' lift up 
your voice' in your closet, and expect it earnestly, as if you 
expected ' a treasure.' 

" Be so good as to tell and that I have re- 
ceived a letter from Colonel Macaulay this morning, informing 

h h 



362 memoirs or DR. BUCHANAN. 

mc that a deputation of Messrs. Wilberforce, Grant, Babing' 
ton, &c., had waited on Lord Liverpool on the subject of evan- 
gelizing India, and that his lordship surprised them by offering 
almost more thnn they wished. He intimated his intention to 
carry the three following important measure* ; 1st. To establish 
a seminary at eacli presidency in India for instructing natives 
for the ministry. 2d. To grant licences for missionaries, not 
from the Court of Directors, but from the Board of Control, 
3d. To consecrate bishops for India. 

44 Your mamma joins me in love to you both ; and I remain, 
my dear girls, 

" Your affectionate father, C. Buchanan."" 

The following extracts from letters to several of his friends, 
will show the general state of Dr. Buchanan's health, feelings, 
and employments, during the remainder of this eventful year. 

" Kirbt Hall, 17th August. 

I4 "l am just returned from Scarborough, where I have been 
for the last six weeks trying the efficacy of the warm baths at 
that place. I have been strengthened a little, but am still very 
weak. 

44 1 have hardly any news but w T hat I find in the Bible ; and 
that book is always new. I keep far aloof from the world ; at 
least I wish to do so; and my present indisposition favours 
my wishes. But even in this evil world every week produces 
joyful events. The city of London has formed itself into a 
Bible Society; and the Chancellor of the Exchequer has stood 
forth boldly as the advocate and supporter of the religion of 
Christ. But if I were to recount all the blessings of God to 
this unworthy land, I should need a quire of paper : a quire ! 
If all the blessings to this unworthy land were written, ■ the 
world itself (to use the bold hyperbole of St. John) 4 would 
not contain the books that should be written.' 

44 I rejoice to hear that you find yourself fully employed 
from day to day, feeling the weight of the labour, and yet ob- 
taining strength for the day. For this, believe me, is the hap- 
piest state of your existence. The exertion of mind, under 
parochial, domestic, and scholastic cares, is like the budding 
and blossoming of trees which promise plenty of fruit. By 
and by it will be the autumn for you and Mrs. K. ; labour and 
sin and sorrow will cease, and a glorious state of felicity will 
begin: of which I pray, that all your children and all your 
pupils may partake !" 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN- 363 

" 14th November. 

" Thanks to you for your kind letter. I am in much the 
same state I have been, but I cannot write a page without diffi- 
culty. The paralytic affection remains without sensible abate- 
ment in my right hand, foot, and side. I can however walk 
and ride a little : and I have preached regularly this last month. 
There is no hope of my acquiring strength soon, for I do not 
take sufficient/00 cL I am therefore content to do a little, not 
knowing whether I shall obtain strength to do more. 

" I have just had a letter from Mr. Owen, (to whom I had 
occasion to send sixty pounds for the Bible Society, and ten 
pounds for Serampore to Mr. Macaulay, from the family here,) 
in which he manifests great alarm about Mr. Brown. Mr. 
Thomason's letter stated, that he was not expected to live a 
week. But my letter is the latest I presume. You would 
hear of the Serampore conflagration. The missionaries will 
soon recruit their money ; but the work will be somewhat re- 
tarded," 

" Dec. 17. 

st I thought I was going on very well, but I was suddenly 
threatened with a return of illness. It has hitherto been mer- 
cifully prevented ; but I am obliged to desist entirely from my 
labour in the ministry ; and am forbidden to engage in severe 
study. 

" I rejoice to see you working with so much alacrity and 
content while strength is afforded you. * Be thou faithful unto 
death, and I will give thee a crown of life/ 

" What a terrible retribution is the modern Senacherib ex- 
periencing on the wolds of Russia ! What an event for the use 
and edification of the christian ! I fear both nations and in- 
dividuals will suffer morally from their exultation. May you 
and I live to God, whether Bonaparte live or die !" 

" Dec. 19. 

" What a loss will Mr. Robinson be to the christian world ! 
How many has he blessed in various ways, by preaching, 
writing, and family exhortation ! What a shining example to 
all the midland ministers ! I esteemed him the greatest preacher 
in England ; as Mr. Scott is the greatest divine. 

"I rejoice to see you continue in a spiritual frame. It is 

the balm of life. If Mr. has seen and tasted that ' Christ 

is precious,' he will ■ set his face like a flint.' If his convic- 
tions have only been general, he will not be very useful in a 
higher sphere." 



364 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" Dec. 29. 

44 1 received your welcome note, and desire the best bless- 
ings may be your portion in return. I suffer at present from 
the effects of a blister on the neck, which has taken a strong 
hold of my constitution, and can only write a few lines. If I 
could write, I have only to say, that I join with you in your 
hallelujah to Him who came at this season to redeem lost man, 
and to make us kin^s and priests unto God. May our song 
which begins now, last for ever ! 

44 I had not heard that H. Martyn was about to return. God, 
who ordereth all things well, will show us perhaps that all 
these events are conducive to his glory." 

At the close of this year, and the commencement of the fol- 
lowing, Dr. Buchanan was occupied, at the suggestion of some 
of his friends, in preparing a new work, in the prospect of the 
approaching parliamentary discussions on the renewal of the 
charter of the East India Company, with reference to some 
more direct and effectual provision for the promotion of Chris- 
tianity in our Asiatic empire. Before we proceed, however, 
with this important subject, we must advert to some events 
which deeply affected the domestic happiness of Dr. Buchanan 
during the first three months of the year 1813. These will be 
best related in his own words. In a note to Mr. and Mrs. 
Thompson on the 27th of February, he wrote thus : 

44 1 dare say your hearts will be filled with joy on the event 
of dear Mary having been so safely delivered. As for the little 
one, who would only stay half an hour in this evil world, there 
is no reason that we should grieve for him. I am happy to 
say, that his dear mother is perfectly composed and resigned 
to the dispensation. 

44 May the God of this family, even the God of Abraham, 
Isaac, and of Jacob, who surroundeth us with his comforts, 
administer to you also the consolation and support you respec- 
tively stand in need of, and shine on your path till you become 
partakers of his glory !" 

On the same day, Dr. Buchanan communicated this event 
to one of his friends, and accompanied it with the following 
notice of the afflicting intelligence which had been lately re- 
ceived from India, and of the dubious state of his own health. 

44 1 presume you have heard of the death of the Rev. Mr, 
Brown, of Calcutta, and of Mr. Martyn. And so these good 
men have ascended up on high in the vigour of age and life. 
Let us aspire to follow them, and join the assembly of the 
first born ! 

11 1 have no news for you, being, like yourself, much retired 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 365 

from the world. 1 continue in my former state, as to health ; 
that is, I can make little progress in acquiring strength, while 
the danger of a third attack of paralysis (which is imminent) 
obliges me to take little nourishment, and yet to lose much 
blood." 

On the 13th of March, Dr. Buchanan, in writing to another 
of his friends, added : 

" Mrs. B. recovers well, and has been applying to herself St 
Paul's reasoning on the advantages of being without the cares of 
a family. I tell her St Paul's is a wonderful book — it suits 
every state" 

This favourable appearance, however, of recovery was but 
of short duration. The following brief narrative, drawn up by 
Dr. Buchanan for the consolation of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, 
describes in simple but affecting language the sudden extinc- 
tion of his hopes, and the repetition of the Mow which had 
once before laid low his expectations of earthly happiness. 

■" Long before her last illness, my dear Mary had frequently 
contemplated the probability of her -dying in early life. Her 
delight was to talk of things heavenly and spiritual, and her 
studies were almost entirely religious. Her spirits seemed to 
have been much chastened by personal and by domestic suffer- 
ing; and her affections were gradually losing their hold of this 
world. After her last confinement, her heart appeared to be 
devoted to God in a particular manner. On the third day she 
wrote the following note to her dear mother : 

*" 4 Yon will rejoice to hear I am as well as can be expected, 
smd that I feel a wonderful serenity of mind. I feel a want 
for my poor little babe. Yet I do not repine, for I have great 
need of all the Lord^s chastisements^ and if I gain one step 
towards heaven, i am abundantly repaid, and would joyfully 
go through all over again to-morrow to gain one step more. I 
have great need of correction; but why my dear husband 
should be a sufferer in these losses I cannot conceive, who is 
so much farther advanced in his heavenly course and expe- 
rience in every way. Pray for me, that I may so run as to oh* 
lain the heavenly prize. 

4i * My kind love to my poor little girls. Tell them I hope, 
in the course of a day or two, to be able to see them. I have 
-great cause for thankfulness in every way. Adieu, adieu.' 

" Notwithstanding her continued indisposition, accompanied 
by a high fever, she greatly enjoyed my prayers and religious 
converse. Having lost her child, she frequently alluded to the 
pleasure she anticipated in forming the minds of Charlotte and 
Augiasta, and preparing them for the heavenly state. We 

Hh2 



366 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

mutually expressed the hope of devoting ourselves to the ser- 
vice of God for the time to come, more affectionately and ac- 
tively than we had done in time past. She looked forward, 
certainly, to the comfort of enjoying more the life of a saint on 
earth ; but I do not think she expected so early to be a saint 
in heaven. The expectations and assurances of all her medical 
attendants were very flattering in regard to her recovery. A 
rapid recovery was prognosticated ; but she more than once in- 
timated that they did not understand her case. 

" On the night previous to her death, w T hile she sat on the 
couch in my study, she begged I would give her the Bible, and 
a little table, and a candle. She read one of the psalms very 
attentively, the 46th I believe, beginning with these words y 
k God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble/ 
And when I took the Bible out of her hands, finding it open 
at that psalm, I read it to her as a portion of our evening re- 
ligious exercise. 

" On the morning of the day on which she died, after I had 
kneeled by her bedside, as usual, and prayed with her, and 
had left her, she desired her maid to read a hymn to her. She 
began one, but immediately said it was a funeral hymn ; to 
which she replied, ' a funeral hymn will suit me very well.' 

" About an hour afterwards she was brought into my study, 
and took her seat in the arm-chair. About one o'clock her 
dear father and mother came to visit her. After her father 
had stayed sometime, he and I went out in the carriage for an 
hour, while her mother remained with her. On our return , 
her mother took her leave, and I accompanied her down stairs 
to the carriage. On my coming up, my dear Mary had just 
got up from her chair, and walked o^ver to the couch with a 
quick step, assisted by her nurse, from an apprehension that 
she was about to faint. I immediately supported her in my 
arms. Slight faintings succeeded, but they were momentary. 
She complained of a pain near her heart. On my saying, I 
hoped it would soon be over, she replied, * O no, it is not over 
yet ; what is this that is come upon me ? — send for mamma/ 
After a few minutes' struggle, she sat up in the couch with 
much strength ; and looking towards the window, she uttered 
a loud cry, that might have been heard at a considerable dis- 
tance. She then drank a little water ; and immediately after 
drinking, without a groan or sigh, her head fell upon my breast. 
I thought she had only fainted ; but her spirit at that moment 
had taken its flight. It was just three o'clock in the day. 

" Thus died my beloved wife. She was ready for the sum- 
mons. She had long lived as one who waited for the coming 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 367 

of her Lord. Her loins were girded, her lamp was burning, 
and the staff was in her hand. She had nothing to do but to 
depart. 

44 * Blessed are those servants whem the Lord when he 
cometh shall find watching ; and if he shall come in the second 
watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed 
are those servants.' Luke xii. 37.* 

"Moat Hall, 13th April, 1813." 

A few days after this afflicting event, Dr. Buchanan ex- 
pressed his personal feelings more fully, and detailed, in his 
" Private Thoughts," with genuine christian humility, those 
44 peaceable fruits of righteousness," which he was chiefly 
anxious to derive from his loss. The notice of some of them 
will, doubtless, interest many readers. 

44 My first emotions of thankfulness (when I could seek sub- 
jects of thankfulness) were, 4 that her last trial was so short.' 
It was given me to witness for my soul's health, I trust ; and 
it was awful indeed, but it was short." 

" Monday evening, 29th March. 

" I have passed this week in a mourning and disconsolate 
state. I have lost appetite for food, and dwell almost con- 
stantly on the circumstances of my loss. 

44 I suffer chiefly from the reflection, that I did not commune 
with her more frequently and directly on the state of her 
soul. * * * God ordained her personal and domestic suffer- 
ings to mature her for her approaching change. * * * * Ma- 
ture in my heart, blessed Saviour, this affliction, and enable 
me to obey the new commandment, * that ye love one another.' 

44 This love exercised towards a wife or children acquires 
a double force ; natural affection co-operating with spiritual 
love. 

44 Teach me, O Lord, to love my children as I ought to do, 
both in a natural and spiritual sense." 

" April 2d, 1813. 
44 My grief has been growing more and more faint and 
languid ; but, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, my sense of things heavenly and my penitence for past 
sins, have rather increased. I am enabled to pray three times 
a day, and am not as usual driven hastily from my knees. O 

* The inscription on Mrs. Buchanan's tomb, written by her affectionate hus- 
band, will be found at the end of the volume. 



368 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

that this may continue ! I have long prayed for a spirit of grace 
and supplication, and now the Lord hath been pleased to give 
it by means that I did not expect. However it comes, it is a 
long-lost blessing. 

44 The chief petitions in my prayers have been these : 

44 1. That God would strike the rock of my affections with 
his rod, and cause the waters to flow ; that I might become 
tender hearted, truly humble and solicitous about the spiritual 
state of men. 

44 2. That I might open my mouth in the cause of God. 
Hitherto my lips have been locked in a torpid silence. There 
is, indeed, much that is constitutional in this taciturnity ; and 
my late nervous indisposition has greatly increased it. Like 
Hooker, I can scarcely look my children or servants in the 
face. 

44 I have prayed that this unaccountable weakness may be 
removed ; that I may become vocal for God at all times and in 
all places ; that I may look earnestly into the eyes and coun- 
tenances of men, and seek anxiously their salvation ; that I 
may never forget the agonizing looks and powerful voice of my 
dear wife in the struggle of death ; and that I may call forth 
some animation of soul in my looks and words during my life. 

44 3. That I may learn to seek the glory of God as the first 
object in my conversation in the world, and to pray earnestly 
for the conversion of all men. 

44 4. Let me look on every person whom my eyes survey 
with benevolence, loving my neighbour as myself, and utter a 
mental prayer for that person, 4 May this be a vessel of mercy 
prepared unto glory !' 

44 5. That the spirit of grace and supplication may never de- 
part from me ; and that God may hear my morning, noon-tide, 
and evening supplication during every day of my pilgrimage. 

44 6. That * * * I may fix my love, hopes, and affections 
on God ; and obtain that fellowship which I learn from scrip- 
ture is attainable by man in his present state. Amen." 

Dr. Buchanan's communications to his friends upon this 
melancholy occasion breathe the same spirit as his more private 
meditations, and will still, it is presumed, be thought interest- 
ing and instructive. The following are extracts from some of 
them, 

"Kirby Hall, 2d April, 1813. 
After replying to one or two points respecting public events, 
he adds : 

44 But I do not know what is passing in these days. The 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 369 

death of Mrs. Buchanan has removed to a vast distance from 
my mind subjects which were familiar to it. ... I could not 
have believed that I should have been so much moved by the 
event as I am, or that my affections would have been so power- 
fully awakened. May the spiritual impression I have received 
never be obliterated from my soul ! 

" Offer my christian love to your wife who is yet alive. 
And may you and she enjoy much spiritual communion with 
each other, before the hour of separation arrives !" 

" 4th April. 

" My dear Sister, — Charlotte has shown me your kind letter. 
I thank you most sincerely for your tender sympathy on my 
late loss. The summons came suddenly for Mrs. Buchanan, 
but she was evidently matured for her new state of existence ; 
and I believe she in some degree anticipated it. Her death 
has, I trust, been blessed to myself, and, I would hope, to my 
children. 

" While your dear husband is spared to you, and you are 
spared to him, enjoy as much spiritual converse together as is 
possible. For when the separation comes, you will reproach 
yourselves bitterly, if you have not been tenderly communica- 
tive on this subject. 

" I remain, my dear sister, very affectionately yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

" To Coloml Sandys. 

" 15th April. 

" Accept my sincere thanks for your kind letter of con- 
dolence. Your topics of consolation are all excellent ; and you 
.point to the right source, the heavenly Paraclete. 

" I shall not be able to make a journey into Cornwall. I 
return you thanks for your most obliging offer, which is a true 
mark of your personal friendship, and of christian regard. My 
infirm state forbids my moving from home for sometime, ex- 
cept in a case of urgent necessity. 

" I can write but little. My pen refuses to say much since 
Mrs. Buchanan's death. But I hope I have been affected by 
it chiefly in a spiritual manner." 

" To Colonel Macaulay. 

"April 16. 

" I thank you most sincerely for your kind letter. The 
mournful event has, I trust, been sanctified to me. Some such 



370 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

affliction appears to have been necessary to soften a hard and 
proud heart. I pray that the salutary effects may never pass 
away. 

"1 am happy to hear you speak so favourably of the dispo- 
sition of government in regard to the extension of Christianity 
in the East. Mr. Wilberforce has urged me to go up and give 
evidence at the bar of the House of Lords. I told him I am 
willing to appear ; the only question is, whether it be physi- 
cally practicable. The physicians oppose my going. 1 do not 
know what will be the event." 

The latter sentence in the preceding extract leads back our 
attention to the great subject which occupied the minds of re- 
ligious men during the former part of this year, and with re- 
ference to which, it has been already seen, that Dr. Buchanan 
was employed, when his thoughts were for a time diverted from 
it by the late afflicting event in his family. To this important 
subject, therefore, we will now return. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The light which had been thrown a few years since, chiefly 
by means of Dr. Buchanan's writings* on the state of religion in 
India, and the interest which had been in consequence excited 
upon that subject throughout the nation, produced a very gene- 
ral impression as to the duty of urging upon the attention of 
parliament the necessity of making some more effectual provi- 
sion for the religious instruction of British India, and of in- 
creasing the facilities of imparting the blessings of christian 
knowledge to the unenlightened millions of our native subjects. 
To promote these most important objects, several valuable 
tracts were published by the friends of religion ; amongst 
which may be particularly mentioned an admirable " Letter to 
a Friend on the duty of Great Britain to disseminate Chris- 
tianity in India, occasioned by the proposed renewal of the 
charter of the East India Company ;"* and a masterly " Ad- 
dress to the Public," on the same momentous topic, by the 
Rev. Robert Hall, 

The subject was also biiefly but powerfully touched by an 
able and eloquent defenderf of the general system of our East 



* See the Christian Observer, vol. xi. p. 26J. 
t Hubert Gi^nr, Es^= 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 371 

Indian administration ; who, in combatting an insinuation of a 
valuable writer on the south of India, thus expresses his own 
views upon the subject of promoting Christianity in the East. 

" The question respecting the introduction of Christianity 
into Hindostan does not, it must be owned, fall precisely within 
the subject of the present work ; but its high importance will 
justify a few words upon it, even at the expense of what may 
seem a digression. 

" The idea of coercive proselytism, however mild the com- 
pulsory means employed, merits all the epithets which the 
language of reprobation can attach to it ; and even that of pro- 
selytism, by the simple exertion of state influence, seems, in 
Hindostan, to say the best of it, highly objectionable. But 
surely the idea of proselytism by the bare effect of conviction, 
— by the effect of an unforced, unbribed, and unbiassed ac- 
quiescence in truth and reason, — however visionary it may 
appear to some persons, can only by a very singular rule of 
arrangement be classed with unmanly, ungenerous, and un- 
christian deception. To such a pitch of refinement would this 
valuable author have us carry our reverence for the supersti- 
tions of Hindooism ! Their sanctity seems to be like what is 
said of the priestly character, indelible. Their sovereignty is 
so essential and inherent, that they not only cannot be deposed, 
but cannot even voluntarily abdicate. 

" A few years ago this subject was debated with great heat ; 
but at present will surely receive a calm attention. The ac- 
complished Sir William Jones, who was equally distinguished 
for his acuteness, his philanthropy, and his candour, has given 
his sanction to attempts, cautiously and fairly conducted, for 
the introduction of the christian religion among the natives of 
Hindostan. If, indeed, as Colonel Wilks justly affirms, ' it 
never can be a question, whether the English or the Hindoo 
code of religion be entitled to the preference,' the wish must 
naturally suggest itself to every humane and unprejudiced mind, 
that the better system should have every chance of the wider 
diffusion. Only the distinction is ever to be carefully observed 
between making it a matter of option and a matter of authority ; 
a distinction which, even as applied to this particular case, the 
experience of many years has now shown that the natives are 
perfectly able to comprehend. The uncompelled and tranquil 
circulation of the christian scriptures (the method peculiarly 
recommended by Sir William Jones) appears so free from all 
possibility of exception, that it ought to receive the fullest and 
most willing toleration from the Indo-British Presidencies. 
Otherwise they would indeed * forcibly stand between' the 



372 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Hindoo population and the highest and deepest hopes that can 
be infused into the human heart. And surely no government 
calling itself christian can, without incurring a fearful respon- 
sibility, refuse to a christian missionary, so long as he shall 
demean himself with strict loyalty, steady discretion, and un- 
impeachable virtue, the opportunity of exerting his unbought 
and honourable labour among the natives of Hindostan." 

It was natural, however, to look to him who had first awak- 
ened the public mind to the imperious duty of regarding the 
religious concerns of our oriental empire, to lead the way in 
an appeal to the legislature upon this subject. Accordingly, 
amidst the pressure of domestic sorrow and of personal debi- 
lity, Dr. Buchanan composed and published, early in the spring, 
a work entitled, " Colonial Ecclesiastical Establishment: being a 
brief view of the state of the Colonies of Great Britain, and of 
her Asiatic Empire, in respect to religious instruction: prefaced 
by some considerations on the national duty of affording it." 

Though the state of the question relative to the promotion of 
Christianity in India w T as very materially and happily changed 
since the year 1807, when it was so fully discussed, and 
thoughtful and religious men were in general persuaded of the 
necessity and importance of that measure, Dr. Buchanan still 
deemed it expedient to commence his work by briefly but 
pointedly urging this duty upon a christian nation, and by 
arguing, from various considerations, that the voice of Provi- 
dence was evidently calling upon Great Britain to undertake 
it. He next entered upon an examination of the means of 
thus diffusing Christianity ; and under the head of one of them, 
" the extension of the National Church," gave a sketch of a 
general colonial establishment, and of the state of religion in 
the West Indies. Dr. Buchanan then argued the question as 
to the policy of promoting Christianity in India. 

On the subject, however, of parliamentary interference, he 
stated, that it was not his intention to urge the legislature to 
adopt any direct means in the way of expensive establishments 
for proselyting the natives. All, he said, that w r as expected at 
present in regard to them was, that the governing power would 
not show itself hostile to the measure of instructing them. 
Great Britain, he alleged, owed her primary obligations to her 
own children. The work, therefore, is closed by a powerful 
appeal to parliament as to its duty and responsibility upon the 
approaching decision of this momentous question, and with 
the sketch of an Ecclesiastical Establishment for British India, 
which has been already mentioned.* 

* See page 357. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 373 

Such is a brief outline of the contents of this volume, which 
was very extensively circulated, particularly amongst the mem- 
bers of both houses of Parliament, and made a strong and 
general impression throughout the country. 

It was not merely, however, by the press that the friends of 
religion endeavoured to instruct and awaken the public upon 
this critical and momentous occasion. They resorted to the 
legitimate and constitutional measure of petitioning Parliament 
upon the subject, and nine hundred addresses from the cities, 
towns, and even villages of the united kingdom, crowded the 
tables of both houses, imploring the interference of the legis- 
lature in behalf of the moral and religious interests of India. 
The contest was long and arduous ; but the voice of christian 
duty and of sound policy, which must ever be inseparable, at 
length prevailed. A resolution to the following effect was in- 
troduced by his majesty's ministers into both houses; and, 
after very full and lengthened discussions, in which Mr. Wil- 
berforce, Mr. W. Smith, and Mr. Stephen, particularly distin- 
guished themselves by their able and eloquent efforts in its 
support, it was, in the House of Commons, carried by a great 
majority, and, in the House of Lords, without debate and 
without a division. 

" That it is the duty of this country to promote the interest 
and happiness of the native inhabitants of the British domi- 
nions in India ; and that such measures ought to be adopted as 
may tend to the introduction among them of useful knowledge 
and of religious and moral improvement. That, in the fur- 
therance of the above objects, sufficient facilities shall be afford- 
ed by law to persons desirous of going to and remaining in 
India for the purpose of accomplishing these benevolent de- 
signs." 

A previous resolution had already passed, by which a bishop 
and three archdeacons were to be appointed to superintend the 
clergy of the established church iri India ; thus accomplishing^ 
though not to the extent which he deemed necessary, the two 
great objects which Dr. Buchanan had so ably and so perse- 
veringly pursued.* 

It is to these important and interesting transactions that the 
following extracts principally refer. With the exception of 
the first, the letters from which they are taken were address- 



*The establishment of the See of Calcutta has been attended with all the 
benefits which Dr. Buchanan anticipated, and has already added not a little to 
the lustre of the English Episcopacy from the character of the distinguished 
and pious bishops whose services it has, for a brief period, enjoyed- The fbU 

i i 



374 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

ed to a friend, to whose judicious and zealous exertions much 
of the success which ultimately attended the cause must be 
ascribed. 

"Kiuby Hall, Feb. 4, 1813. 

" You go up, you say, to witness the battle between 

the government and the India Company. It rages very fu- 
riously at present. It is a fine trial of the honesty of religious 
men. It is true, indeed, good men often live and die the slaves 
of particular prejudices ; but, generally speaking, conscience 
will take the alarm if we are not honest in our vote in a cause 
between God and man. 

" God will direct the event according to his coun- 
sel. There may be no remarkable triumph at this time : but 
other parts of the great catastrophe (the revelation of Christ's 
kingdom) are approximating, and you may live to see its ad- 
vance. The expiration of twenty years more is likely to be a 
grander period in the church than the present. 

" 1 have just submitted to the insertion of a large seton in 
the integuments of my neck. So you see the constitutional 
propensity to paralysis continues. But this is the best state 
for me. I could not have chosen a better ; and it does me a 
great deal of good. I need slow fires to purge away my dross. 
But the Refiner is merciful, and gives me strength to bear the 
heat of the furnace." 

"Kirbt Hall, April, 1813. 
" The circumstances of my health render it impracticable 
for me, at present, to move to London. But I shall probably 
afford you any information as satisfactorily by correspondence 
as if I were on the spot. 

lowing are the dates of their respective consecrations, and of the deaths of the 
first four of the number: 

Right Rev. Thomas Fansfiaw Middleton, consecrated 1814, died 1822. 

" Rrcinald Hebkr, consecrated 1st June, 1823, died April 2, 1826. 

" J. T. James, consecrated 3d June, 1S27, died 22d August, 1823. 

" J. M. Turner, consecrated 1829, died July 7, 1831. 

" Daniel Wilson, consecrated 1832. 

Serus in caelum redeat, diuque la3to intersit popu'o. 
Since the appointment of Bishop Wilson the English government has yielded 
to the manifest necessity of increasing the number of bishops in India. The Right 
Rev. Daniel Corrie, whose life has been devoted to missionary labours in 
India, and who is well known as the friend and associate of Henry Marly n, 
was consecrated Bishop of Bombay on the 14th of June. 1835. The succeed- 
ing year was marked by the consecration of the Right Rev. Thomas Can as 
Bishop of Bombay. — Am. Ed. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 375 

" Your accomplishing the object of a numerous meeting at the 
London Tavern was a grand measure, and the whole christian 
world is indebted to you for it. The resistance to your pur- 
poses will be most resolute. The public voice alone promises 
something. If every city and town in England and Scotland 
were to petition, (which is practicable,) the business would 
acquire a new complexion before the end of May. 

" The duty, however, of a christian is to be obedient to the 
powers that be. To claim as matter of right the permission 
of preaching Christianity to the Hindoos, is highly absurd; 
and the assertion of the right ought to meet with a rebuke* 

" Mr. Wilber force's speech in the committee on Catholic 
claims will produce some sensation among religious men in. 
England. I am of opinion that he has judged rightly. Libe- 
ral concession to the Catholics and dissenters will be good me- 
dicine to some ; and will favour measures for enlarging the 
spiritual church of Christ. We may be sure that the country 
will make no concession to the Catholics which will materially 
injure her. If she does, she can retrace her steps,, as she has 
done before^" 

« May 15, 
** Many thanks to you for ' Christianity in India.' It is 
drawn up in the manner I entirely approve., which I could not 
say of the former summaries. It comes in well after the peti- 
tions ; and its perspicuity and brevity will fix and fascinate the 
careless eye. I begin almost to sympathise with your Indian 
opponents, the battering of religious Britain has been so tre- 
mendous. 

Like you, I am not anxious as to the terms of concession in 
regard to the question. The deed is done. Britain has lifted 
her voice in her christian character, and the effect will be per- 
manent and blessed. By this concussion religion rises at least 
two degrees in a scale of twenty, both in its character and inte- 
rests. The Bible Society 9 too, shares in the triumph. 

"Mr. Dealtry's sermon* was well timed ; and would be, I 
doubt not, a coup de grace to the dying prejudices of some. 

" I have just read Dr. Milner's Strictures ; and have praised 
God who hath given such understanding to men. He is a 
host in himself; and the church will begin henceforth to view 
him in a new light. They will dread his principles less, and 
i-everenee his abilities more. I trust it will please God to 
spare his life for some years. 

* Before the Church Missionary Society. 



376 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

44 The publication of the Society's India Reports is just 
what we want. It identifies them with us, and confirms the 
truth of facts. 

44 Spare your health, and take repose ; for you know not but 
you may have as much to do next year." 

" Kirby Hall, June 2d. 

" I congratulate you on your great triumph. 

Such a resolution proposed under such circumstances ! The 
moment it actually passes the petitioners ought to unite in one 
national hallelujah. 

. . . . " What does . . . think of civilization now ? Lord 
Castlereagh has put the question to rest. He says the fear of 
it is a chimera." 

" 11th June. 

44 I am charmed with Whitbread, when he sounds the right 
note. 

44 I continue stationary at present. I have had blood abstract- 
ed twice by cupping within the last month." 

44 5th July. 
44 And so Mr. Venn is dead ! What a varied scene has he 
passed through in the evening of life, permitted, no doubt, for 
his soul's health and eternal good. The church may mourn 
indeed for Venn and Robinson. Let us be followers of them, 
who through faith and patience have inherited the promises !" 

44 July 7th. 

44 I enclose an additional paragraph for the Remarks. Mr. 
Lushington having declared so gravely that I had recommend- 
ed the Hindoos to be converted by force, perhaps it would be 
right to advert to a matter, which I had never thought it worth 
my while to notice before. 

44 1 hope now to give you no further trouble. It must be a 
great relief to you when Parliament and their India questions 
break up for good ; and I should be glad to hear that you had 
gone for a w 7 hile to the Isle of Wight ; whence, as from a safe 
haven, you might look back on the tumultuous sea you have 
navigated." 

" July 24. 
44 1 congratulate you sincerely on the issue of your campaign, 
far more interesting to thousands than that of Lord Wellington. 
44 And now we are likely to be all disgraced. Parliament 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 377 

has opened the door, and who is there to go in ? From the 
•church not one man! Lord C. anticipated this denoument in 
a very pleasant vein. We may hope that the Church Mission- 
ary Society will excite a new spirit in various places. And we 
must believe that the late great national movement, in behalf 
of Christ and his kingdom, will have a reward in the fruits of 
righteousness within the year." 

The labours, however, of Dr. Buchanan in this great cause 
were not yet completed. In the course of the debates in the House 
of Commons, upon the question allowing efforts to be made by 
pious and benevolent persons to promote Christianity in India, 
his name and his writing were introduced by several of the Anglo- 
Indian* opposers of that measure, in terms which can scarcely be 
excused even on the ground of their own sincere, though mis- 
taken, apprehensions of the subject. He was represented by 
these gentlemen as the calumniator of the Hindoos, and as 
having given to the world a false, or at least an exaggerated, 
statement of their cruel and immoral superstitions. They, on 
the contrary, wished the house and the public to believe, upon 
the authority of their alleged local knowledge, that the Hin- 
doos, though idolators, and enslaved by a blind and corrupt su- 
perstition, were still a very harmless and moral race of people, 
and, in support of the excellence of the Brahminical system, 
quoted a variety of passages from the Heetopades, and other 
Hindoo books, to prove what pure and exalted sentiments they 
entertained of the Supreme Being, and of the great duties of 
morality. Witnesses, however, without end, possessing more 
than all the boasted local information of these gentlemen, from 
Mr. Hoi well to Sir William Jones, Lord Teignmouth, and Sir 
James Mackintosh, had already convinced every calm and un- 
prejudiced inquirer, that, whatever may be the speculative 
merit of their sacred books, or the social virtues of individual's, 
both the religious system and the moral practice of the Hindoos 
in general were — what we might be certain fro-m abstract princi- 
ples as well as universal experience, the heathen ever must be — 
'" corrupt, abominable, and unto every" really " good work re- 
probate." And it would, in fact, be quite as practicable and as 
just to charge the sacred writers themselves in their descriptions 
of the idolators of Greece and Rome, how 7 ever distinguished 
for their advancement in learning and the arts, with exaggera- 
tion and uncharitableness, as the representations of Dr. Bu- 
chanan, on a similar painful and deplorable subject. 

* Particularly by Sir Henry Montgomery nnd Mr Lushington ; the latter of 
tVhom did not, however, vote again&i the resolution. 

ii 2 



378 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

It happened, in the course of the examination of evidence 
upon the India question before the House of Commons, that 
Dr. Buchanan's Memorial to Lord Minto in the year 1807, 
together with the reply of the Bengal government to that paper, 
and the observations of the Court of Directors on both, were 
exhibited, and afterwards printed by order of the house. The 
account given by Dr. Buchanan of the atrocities of the idol- 
worship at Juggernaut was also opposed and attempted to be 
invalidated by Mr. C. Buller, M. P. for West Looe, in a way 
which will shortly be stated. 

The unfounded allegations of the gentlemen first named 
were generously repelled by Mr. Wilberforce, in one of his ad- 
mirable speeches in the house, in the following terms : 

" It is unwillingly that I bring in the name of one other per- 
son ; I mean Dr. Buchanan : but I should be extremely want- 
ing in the office and feelings of friendship, did I not take this 
opportunity of vindicating the character of that excellent man. 
The other night, the house will remember that it was stated 
by a friend near me that I had not mentioned a single fact or 
proposition on the authority of Dr. Buchanan. This, however, 
was not because Dr. Buchanan was no authority with me ; but 
because I knew there was a great, but most unjust outcry raised 
against him : as, indeed, it was natural to expect there would 
be against any man who had endeavoured, with his zeal, to draw 
the public attention to this great cause. Thinking, therefore, 
that my facts would be more readily admitted, if I supported 
them by other less obnoxious names, I did not mention the name 
of Dr. Buchanan, although his testimony would have corrobo- 
rated all I said. But I should not do justice to my sentiments, 
if I did not say that I feel Dr. Buchanan to be a man who de- 
serves to be spoken of in a very different way from that in 
which some gentlemen have chosen to mention his name. 
Lord Wellesley selected Dr. Buchanan to be Vice-Provost of 
the college of Calcutta; and he says of him — 'I have formed 
the highest expectations from his abilities, learning, temper, 
and morals ;' if, therefore, I think most highly of Dr. Bu- 
chanan, as I certainly do, I am not alone in thinking well of 
him. And let me here remind the honourable member that 
Dr. Buchanan did not, at least, act like a man who wished to 
deceive the public, and to obtain their assent to a false proposi- 
tion ; for Dr. Buchanan published that very work, which states 
most fully and particularly all the great circumstances of Hin- 
doo enormity, while he yet resided in Bengal, and the book 
was in circulation there a year or two before he quitted that 
country. He himself presented to the supreme government of 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 379 

India a copy of this work ; I mean his Memoir in favour of an 
Ecclesiastical Establishment for India ; by which he drew as 
much attention to the subject as he could, and, at least, mani- 
fested his desire that the real truth should be ascertained. And, 
in justice to Dr. Buchanan, I must observe that, notwithstand- 
ing the unjust and illiberal aspersions which have been thrown 
out in a general way against him, I have never yet heard him 
distinctly charged with any specific misstatement of any fact 
which he has brought forward/' 

To Mr. Lushington and Sir Henry Montgomery Dr. Bu- 
chanan wrote privately in vindication of his sentiments respect- 
ing the Hindoos. A copy of his letter to the former gentle- 
man is here introduced, not merely for the purpose of defence 
and explanation, for this is by no means necessary, but to show 
his exemplary mildness and forbearance under violent and un- 
deserved reproach. 

"Kirby Hall, Borobridge, 29th June, 1813, 
" Sir, — I do myself the honour to address you for a moment, 
in consequence of my having been informed that, on a late oc- 
casion in the House of Commons, you censured my statements 
concerning India as being unchristian and unjust ; or in terms 
to that effect. Had such a stricture been made by a person who 
was hostile to the introduction of Christianity into India, I 
should have paid no attention to it ; but coming from respecta- 
ble authority, and from one who is friendly to that measure, I 
think it due to him and to myself to offer some explanation. 

44 As you are an advocate for instructing the natives of India, 
I must think that you approve in general of my endeavour to 
give some account of the state of the people, and of the na- 
ture of their superstition ; for, without some account of this 
kind, how should our nation ever be excited to interest itself 
humanely in their behalf? I must believe, then, that you do not 
object to the giving such an account, but only that you disap- 
prove of the manner in which it is done. I am not conscious 
that there is any thing intemperate in my manner of writing. 
Had I been intemperate, the nation would not have listened to 
me. It remains, then, for me to believe that you advert to 
insulated facts stated by me, which you consider untrue. If 
you will have the goodness to refer me to any book, or other 
respectable authority, which plainly invalidates any particular 
fact, I shall be happy to publish the authority in the next edi- 
tion of my work, and to confess my mistake. I assure you it 
will cost me no more to retract an error publicly than to write this 
letter. My only object is to promote the cause of truth in the 



580 MEMOIRS OF DR. bUCilANAX. 

\vorld, by legitimate means. My own fame (since all men 
possess not the same information and principles and cannot 
be equally pleased) ought to be of little moment, and is, I 
hope, a secondary consideration. But I beg you will do me 
the justice to remember that on these subjects there is a great 
diversity of opinion, even among those who are adverse to my 
general views. Scarcely two persons from two different parts 
of India will he found who will give the same account of what 
they have seen and heard. Nor is agreement to be expected 
in describing the various nations extending over three thousand 
miles of territory. But as to those passages in my own work 
which you characterize as unchristian or unjust, I am at as great 
a loss to know which they are, as if you had charged them with 
high treason. 

" I understood some time ago that the statement in my pub- 
lication which chiefly provoked animadversion, was that which 
referred to the burning of women. But you are aware on 
what authority I published that account ; and I presume you 
are informed that subsequent indubitable statements very far 
exceed it, and set this question entirely at rest. 

" Probably you may not have heard that a work has been 
recently published in Bengal, in four volumes quarto, entitled 
a History of the Religion, Manners, and Literature of the Hin- 
doos, which has been bought up with avidity in India, has 
already passed through two editions in that country, and is 
now publishing at home. It was printed under the immediate 
eye of the Bengal government, (as you know it necessarily 
must be,) and possesses an unquestionable authenticity on the 
various subjects concerning which it treats. It takes the high 
ground of literal translations from the Hindoo books, recent 
facts, and living witnesses. Now this work not only confirms 
my statements in almost every case which was controverted, but 
goes far beyond them. In describing the atrocities connected 
with the burning of women, self-devotement, and the impurity 
of the Hindoo worship, I find I have scarcely entered the vesti- 
bule. Will those, then, who pause at my statements, be able 
to assail this authority ? 

" There is another consideration, to which I would request 
you would advert. Speculative strictures on the character of 
the Hindoos constitute a very inconsiderable portion of my 
writings. In three publications concerning India, I do not 
think that criminatory reflections on the Hindoo character in 
the abstract would occupy three pages. I treat, in general, 
of entirely different subjects. It was not till the other day 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 381 

that I was induced to give an exposition of a radical principle 
of an impure character in the Hindoo worship ; and that exposi- 
tion would certainly never have been given, but for the state- 
ment of Mr. B idler. From his representation the nation would 
have been left to conclude, that the indecent emblems on the 
temples of the Hindoos have no evil effect on the morals of 
the people. Now if I was entirely convinced that the contrary 
was the truth, would it have been right in me to aid, by my si- 
lence, the promulgation of such an error ? 

" I would flatter myself that, when you have read this let- 
ter, you will be disposed to consider the object of my writings 
more favourably. There is a particular reason why I wish 
to obtain from you an expression of approbation." 

Here Dr. Buchanan introduced a reference to the charge 
which he had received from the late Sir Stephen Lushington, 
on his going out to India, which has been already mentioned 
in these memoirs. He then continues as follows : 

" If you will do me the honour at your leisure to look through 
my writings, I think you will approve the motives and general 
design ; and I hope you will pardon particular aberrations. If 
you do not, I shall regret it ; but I bear no resentments ; and 
shall trust that time, which produces great revolutions in senti- 
ment, will abate, and not increase, your unfavourable opi- 
nion. 

" I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient and hum- 
ble servant, C.Buchanan." 

" To S. R. Lushington, Esq. M. P." 

Such was Dr. Buchanan's temperate and satisfactory address 
to Mr. Lushington. To Mr. Buller's allegations, he thought 
it necessary to reply more publicly. 

This gentleman perceiving, in the course of the examinations 
which took place in the House of Commons, that the enor- 
mities practised at Juggernaut had made a deep impression on 
the minds of many members, deemed it his duty, from his per-* 
sonal and intimate knowledge of the subject, with a view of ef- 
facing that impression, to address a letter to the Court of Di- 
rectors of the East India Company, intending that it should be 
laid on the table of the house ; where it accordingly soon af- 
terwards made its appearance. Mr, Buller's letter contained 
a plausible defence of the tax on pilgrims resorting to the tem- 
ple of the idol in question, and an attempt to palliate the atro- 
cities alleged by Dr. Buchanan to be customarily committed 
during the celebration of the Rutt Jattra, Qf the indecencies 



382 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

said to be exhibited there, he professed his total ignorance.* 
This vindication of Juggernaut was probably intended, together 
with the defence of the Indian government, to discredit the 
testimony of Dr. Buchanan in this particular point, and thus to 
produce a general distrust of his statements. The failure of 
this scheme shall be given in the words of a writer in a valua- 
ble periodical publication before alluded to ; which nobly re- 
deemed its pledge, given some years since, never to abandon the 
sacred cause of promoting Christianity in India and through- 
out the world ; and to whose pages in the year 1813 the au- 
thor gladly refers for a complete and masterly view of this 
whole subject. 

"Had it pleased Providence," said the Christian Observer,t 
" that the severe illness with which Dr .Buchanan has recently 
been visited had either deprived the church of his valuable 
life, or reduced him to an incapacity of employing his pen in 
her service, it would obviously have been difficult, if not im- 
possible, to have effectually defended him from this assault. 
But while the pressure of disease confined him to his couch, and 
almost denied his tongue its office, the use of a hand was spared 
to him, and his mind retained its more than youthful vigour. 
In a few days his reply to Mr. Buller was in the hands of every 
member of the House of Commons ; and it may be considered 
as no unfair presumption that the reply was complete and satis- 
factory, that in the parliamentary discussions which afterwards 
took place, not the most distant allusion was made to the letter 
of Mr. Buller, by any of his friends, although it cannot be 
doubted that, when first produced, it was intended to serve im- 
portant purposes in debate. We do not deny that we may be 
fairly suspected of feelings of partiality towards Dr. Buchanan. 
Our cordial respect for his character, and our gratitude for the 
important services he has rendered to the christian cause, may 
very possibly give a bias to our sentiments in his favour. We 
think, however, that had w 7 e been mistaken in attributing to his 
reply correctness of statement and solidity of reasoning, we 
should ere this have heard that, either in Parliament or out of 
it, some one of those Anglo-Indians, who have been accus- 
tomed never to pronounce his name without some expression 
of vituperation, would have accepted the challenge of his 

* If Dr Buchanan's representations of this point needed any support, we 
might resort to the coincident and unconscious testimony of the Danish mis- 
sionaries, particularly that of Mr. Hutteman, which is contained in the Report 
of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge for the year 1762. 

tRcview of Buchanan's Apology for Christianity in India, voi. xii. p. 648. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 583 

friends, and have descended from the convenient but impotent 
generality of hard names, to the specification of some particu- 
lar misstatements of fact." 

As soon as Dr. Buchanan's reply to Mr. Buller's letter had 
thus produced its intended effect in the House of Commons, 
he prepared to publish it, together with some other documents, 
to the world. It accordingly appeared in the course of the 
summer under the following title : " An Apology for Promot- 
ing Christianity in India: containing two Letters, addressed to 
the Honourable East India Company, concerning the Idol Jug- 
gernaut; and a Memorial presented to the Bengal Govern- 
ment in 1807, in defence of the Christian Missions in India. 
Printed by order of the Honourable the House of Commons. 
To which are now added, Remarks on the Letter addressed by 
the Bengal government to the Court of Directors in reply to 
the Memorial. With an Appendix, containing various official 
papers, chiefly extracted from the Parliamentary Records re- 
lating to the Promulgation of Christianity in India." 

This valuable and interesting volume is so well known, and 
is still so accessible, that it would be unnecessary to do more 
in this place than refer those who may be desirous of investi- 
gating the important subjects of which it treats, to the perusal 
of its various contents. Two passages, however, deserve to 
be extracted. One is from the close of the first letter to the 
Court of Directors ; and is worthy, as it has been justly ob- 
served, of so distinguished a combatant in this field of sacred 
warfare. 

The annual waste of human life, from the causes that have 
been mentioned, in the territories under the dominion of the 
Honourable the East India Company, is a subject of appalling 
contemplation. Every friend of humanity must be often put- 
ting the question, Is this scene to continue for ever ? Can there 
be no amelioration of human existence in India ? Are there no 
means of mitigating the anguish of reflection in England, when 
we consider that the desolations of Juggernaut exist under our 
government ? Yes, we answer, there are means. We have 
seen with what avidity the Holy Scriptures are received by the 
pilgrims. These pilgrims come from every part of India ; some 
from Cabul, a distance of sixteen hundred miles, and some from 
Samarchand. They are the representatives of a population 
amounting, as we have seen, to ' two hundred millions.' They 
are of every caste, and many of them of no caste at all. The 
Bible is by the inscrutable providence of God at hand : it has 
been translated into the languages of India. Would it not then 



384 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

be worthy of the East India Company to order ten thousand 
copies to be distributed annually at Juggernaut, in any manner 
that prudence would justify and experience direct, as a sacred 
return for the revenue we derive from it, if it should be thought 
right that that revenue should still be continued ? The Scrip- 
tures would thus be carried to the extremities of India and the 
East. Is it possible that the shadow of an objection should 
arise against such a measure, innoxious, as it is humane and 
heavenly, in its tendency ? Are we afraid that ' the wretches 
who come to lay their bones within the precincts of Jugger- 
naut 1 would mutiny and take away our dominion ? Would not 
the consequence be, rather, that ' the blessing of Him that was 
ready to perish' would rest upon you ?" 

The other passage which it may be right to quote from the 
volume in question, is the following general defence by Dr. 
Buchanan of his Memorial to Lord Minto, with which the 
Bengal government was so much offended, and which did 
not escape the more gentle reprehension of the Court of Di- 
rectors. 

" Of the accuracy of the facts stated in the memorial, I think 
there can be little doubt. I challenged inquiry before I left 
Calcutta ; but the government did not think it necessary to in- 
vestigate them. They wrote their letter to the Court of Di- 
rectors while I was yet on the spot without communicating their 
sentiments to me in any manner, although I was on terms of per- 
sonal civility with every member of the administration ; and 
they sent the letter home without my knowledge by the same 
fleet which conveyed myself. Nor did I ever see it, until it 
w r as recently printed by order of the Honourable the House of 
Commons. 

" The second remark I would make refers to the charge of 
* disrespect' which is preferred against me, in the letter alluded 
to, for addressing government at all on the subject ; and to 
which they frequently revert with lively sensibility. I am not 
at all anxious about self-justification in this matter, except as the 
honour of religion may be concerned ; and I hope little per- 
sonal feeling will be visible in these remarks. But in regard 
to the charge in question I only request that the Bengal govern- 
ment will look back to the transaction, and survey the nature 
of the subject and the circumstances in which I stood. Let them 
say whether I had any personal interest in the cause at issue. 
Did I address government for my own advantage ? Was it to 
recommend myself to the favour of the Court of Directors 
when I returned home ? No. It was not my own cause, but that 
of revealed religion, which I maintained. Christianity had 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 385 

been dishonoured. Its teachers were oppressed and silenced ; 
and there was nobody to appear for the truth. I stood for a 
moment the representative of ' Him who is higher than the 
highest.' And is this to be denominated disrespect; espe- 
cially when the words of my address are perfectly respectful ? 
I think that, in the judgment of candour and of enlightened 
minds, it will be thought that I barely did my duty. The 
public voice in the settlement of Calcutta was certainly in my 
favour ; for the proceedings against the missionaries were very 
generally condemned." 

It will now be necessary to return to the more private his- 
tory of Dr. Buhanan, and for this purpose to recur to his let- 
ters to various friends. The following extracts are partly of 
a general nature, and partly refer to the subjects which have 
been lately discussed. 

" To Colonel Sandys. 

"Kiuby Hall, July 29, 1813. 

u Many thanks to you for your letter. The last eleven 
years have indeed been eventful to you and me ; and it is pos- 
sible that the next eleven (whether in heaven or earth) will 
be equally marvellous. My health, concerning which you in- 
quire, continues, we hope, to amend ; but it will be long be- 
fore I obtain much strength, even if there should be no relapse 
of paralysis, which can only beknown to Him who said to the 
sick of the palsy, * Thy sins be forgiven thee.' If I am able, 
I must go up to town about the end of autumn or the year, to 
superintend the publication of some Syriac works which I have 
commenced, viz. New Testament, Grammar, and Lexicon. 

" Since Mrs. Buchanan's death I have enjoyed more distinct 
views of the heavenly state than I had before ; and have at- 
tained to more emphasis in prayer. So far, that event has 
been blessed to me. May the fruits of righteousness grow 
and increase to the end, even as they do with you and the faith- 
ful children of God in every place. 

"I rejoice to hear that you and your family are well. As 
for the spiritual state of those you love, that must be for the 
trial of your faith and hope, even unto the end. ' Remember 
David and all his trouble.' Children seldom show signs of 
grace until they grow up. David had one hopeful son, Solo- 
mon ; and he became an idolater. What may have been his 
end is not well known. But I think the Preacher became a 
monument of grace. 

" I am not surprised that Lord was sick when you 

addressed a letter to him on Christian subjects. He is as re- 

k k 



386 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

mote from the right way as poor and . And 

yet even these may be converted by Him who made the world, 
before they die." 

"To Z. Macaulay, Esq. 

" Kirbt Hall, Augnstr 

" 1 thank you for your letter of the 2d inst., and was much 
pleased with your favourable account of Mr. G.'s exertions in 
the christian cause. He gave me the persual of his admir- 
able book a few days before I went to India ; and I know not 
whether it did not lay some foundation in my mind for future 
investigations. 

44 1 approve most highly of your patronizing Dr. John's 
plans of native schools. They are properly Mr. Swartz's- 
plans. See the defence of them in the last Church Mission- 
ary Register. I visited some of the schools, patronized by 
government, and witnessed their operation. They may be 
justly termed 4 Mediate Schools' for christianizing the Hindoos, 
though their effects be not immediate. I had the same plan 
in view in proposing the numerous schools attached to the 
Ecclesiastical Establishment in my last work." 

" Kirbt Hall, August 20. 

44 1 only received copies of the 4 Apology' yesterday. The 
editorial part reflects great credit on your attention ; and the 
various improvements which I mark in many places demon- 
strate your kindness to me, and affection for the cause in which 
I have been engaged. 

44 The battle is now, I hope, over ; and I would gladly for- 
get all that is past, and turn my face Zionward for the rest of 
my pilgrimage. 

44 Neither Sir Henry Montgomery nor Mr. L. has conde- 
scended (as the Scotch say) on a single instance of mistatement 
in my volumes. As to what Mr. L. has alleged which Mr. 
Smith should consider not defensible, I have not the smallest 
idea ; unless it be, as Home Tooke says, 4 eating little chil- 
dren alive without being roasted.' " 

u Kirby Hall, 8th September. 
44 The strange circumstance of your being at a watering- 
place, doing nothing but bathing, mounting hills, and looking 
down on the tumult below, induces me to write you a few lines 
in the style of Pope, that is about nothing. What labours of 
mind that man Pope achieved in doing nothing! And yet he 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 387 

thought he did something. But Horace did as much as he. 
Johnson flattered himself he did a little more for virtue and the 
chief good than the other two. But, alas ! he, like they, 'knew 
not the way to the city ; and in vain attempted to show it to 
others. But I am likely to fail in writing a letter in the style 
of Pope, and shall therefore approximate a little to business. 

" I had a letter from lately, accompanying a present 

of his book on India. He had been reading my Apology, 
and says he thinks my two letters to the Court of Directors, 
particularly the second., and my remarks on the letter of the 
Governor General in Council, ' are the best of my controver- 
sial pieces.' He adds, 4 1 am the more glad of this, because 
it is an evidence that your long course of illness has not affect- 
ed your mental powers, whilst it may have invigorated quali- 
fies of a still more important kind/ It is certain, however, 
that I have suffered from my illness. Non sum quails eram. 
Would that this were true in the other sense to which he al- 
ludes ! He further says, ' Something seems yet wanting to 
expose to the public the irreligious spirit which has animated 
the Anglo-Indians in the whole of this question of introducing 
Christianity into the East.' 

*'I have answered, that I would not be an assailant any 
more. I seek peace and an oblivion of past scenes ; and have 
suggested that he himself might probably have leisure now to 
send forth a few pages on that subject 

" >— mentions that one of the Directors, * who is now 

removed to another world,' was a violent enemy of mine. I 
do not know what is his name ; and so little have I been ia 
the habit of inquiring what is passing abroad, that I did not 
know I had such a thing .as a personal enemy in the world," 

The two next letters were addressed to Colonel Macaulay ; 
and while they manifest the lively interest which the writer 
continued to feel in the great work of diffusing Christian 
knowledge, it will be a subject of regret that the voyage in 
question was not accomplished either by himself or his 
friend. 

« Kirby Hall, 24th August, 18 L3. 
** My dear Sir — " I was not a little pleased to hear of your 
proposed voyage to the Mediterranean, both on account of your 
own health, and of the advantage which I doubt not will accrue 
to the christian public. You will have opportunities of 
learning how far, and to what extent, the distribution of the 
Bible may be practicable, and what other steps we may take 
in regard to the translation of the scriptures and of tracts? ami 



388 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN, 

to the disposition of missionaries in those regions. It is won- 
derful that the places consecrated hy the travels and labours of 
the Apostle Paul, should be yet left in darkness, unexplored. 
If your health improve under that genial climate, I do not 
wish to see you home again. 

" My own health continues to amend. It is now seven 
weeks since I lost blood, the longest interval since my first 
illness. 

"Lord and Lady L and family are now with me. 

They are the zealous promoters of religious institutions in 
Ireland, and are returning provided with new books, tracts, and 
arguments. They consider five at least of their bishops as 
being enrolled in the cause. I have petitioned for two of them 
to countenance the Homily Society. 

"If I should have no return of illness, I have thoughts of 
going up to town about the end of autumn, and propose in 
that case to call at Mr. Babington's and Mr. Kempthorne's in 
my way. But by that time I presume you will be upon the 
foamy deep. Wherever you are, I pray that a blessing may 
be upon you till the end of your pilgrimage ; and remain, 
_ " My dear sir, very sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 



« " 



"Kirby Hall, 2d September, 1813. 

" My dear Sir. — I have been favoured with your letter, in- 
forming me that your voyage to the Mediterranean is just at 
hand. There are several important objects of research, which 
the course of your route will enable you probably to attend to ; 
a few of which I shall mention, according to your desire. 

44 1. We hardly know any thing of the state of Christiani- 
ty on the African coast, where it flourished in purity in the 
third and fourth centuries. Hippo, of which Augustine was 
bishop, was the fountain-head. It is close to Carthage, (where 
the Christian Council was held,) and Utica, and Tunis ; all 
which places are not much more than one hundred miles from 
the Sardinian and Sicilian coast. Your message to the Chris- 
tians will be, that they may have copies of the Scriptures from 
Malta or England, if they chose to apply for them. 

44 2. The Jews inhabit almost every town on the African 
shore. The Hebrew Testament will be soon ready for them. 

44 3. The island of Cyprus is a grand field for Christian 
investigation at this era. 4 The greater part of the inhabitants 
are Greek christians. Besides a multitude of Armenians, 
there are here a great many Maronites? or Syrian christians. 
This is the account of the Abbe Mariti. He adds, 4 The Latins 
are far from being so numerous, and consist only of Europeans, 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 389 

and the brotherhood of St. Francis, known throughout the 
Levant under the name of the Fathers of the Holy Land.' 
There are very few English here; and it is doubtless for this 
reason that they have neither a church or chapel, nor a minis- 
ter of their religion. Should they happen to multiply, they 
will probably endeavour to procure all these tilings. * This 
as from an Italian priest ! I trust you will be able to show us 
how we may 4 procure all these things.' 

44 You may tell the Greek christians that the Greek Testa- 
ment is ready for them; and the Syrian christians, that the 
Syriac Testament will be soon ready for them. I go up to 
London, God 'willing, to superintend the printing of it, and of 
a Syriac grammar and lexicon at the same time. 

" 4. It is said that two-thirds of the inhabitants of European 
Turkey are of the Greek, Syriac, Armenian, and Latin Church. 
A continual subject of inquiry will therefore be, how many of 
these denominations respectively live in any particular place., 
and how many copies of the Greek, Syriac, Armenian, (the 
Bible Society* has not thought of the Armenian yet,) and La- 
tin copies of the scriptures, including the French and Italian, 
may be required as a primary supply ? Parcels may be sent 
at a venture. 

44 5. An accurate enumeration of the churches (buildings) is 
important, throughout every mile of your route, beginning with 
Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibraltar. A church is an object of cor- 
respondence, if we know only how to address the priest in the 
language of his place. 

44 1 consider you to be the fittest man in Great Britain to go 
upon a voyage of christian discovery. 

44 1 hope to avail myself of Mr. and Mrs. Babington's kind 
invitation, and to stay with them two days in my journey up' 
to London. I cannot say how soon I shall be able to set out. 
Again I follow you with my best wishes ; and remain, 

44 My dear sir, sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 

Dr. Buchanan appears to have left Kirby Hall towards the 
end of October. One of his first visits was to his friend and 
relative the Rev. J. Kempthorne, at Claybrook, in Leicester- 
shire ; the following account, of which by that gentleman can- 
not but be interesting to the reader. 

44 The last time," says Mr. Kempthorne, 44 that he visited, 

* Marit ; . vol. j. p. 8. 
* Armenian Bibles and Testaments have since been printed by the Theodo- 
sian Branch of the Russian Bible Society. 

k k2 



31)0 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

us, which was in his way to Cambridge, I thought him emi 
ucntly dead to the world, and, as it were, absorbed in heaven- 
ly things. His deep domestic afflictions seemed to have been 
greatly sanctified to him. He appeared to watch for every op- 
portunity of seasoning our ordinary discourse with the salt of 
religion. When we were speaking of Carey's Atlas, he took 
occasion to refer, in a solemn and affecting manner, to the map 
of the heavenly city which St. John has given us in the Re- 
velation. When I spoke of Bonaparte's late astonishing over- 
throw, he heard it with comparative indifference, and soon ad- 
verted to the importance of the conversion of the soul to God, 
as involving consequences of greater moment than the fall of 
emperors and the revolution of the greatest states. 

44 After our family prayer, he with much kindness and wis- 
dom made some observations on my manner of expounding the 
scripture ; and after he left me, he called on a common friend, 
and faithfully expressed his fears respecting the safety of his 
spiritual state. 

44 Yet I have heard a piously disposed person, who saw 
more of his domestic habits, regret that his conversation, which 
was highly edifying when he was called forth by pious visitors, 
was not more frequently and decidedly spiritual in his own 
family circle. 

44 With what exquisite sensibility of conscience does he him- 
self lament this in his private reflections after his second wife's 
most distressing removal from him." 

On the 3d of November, Dr. Buchanan wrote to one of his 
friends from Cambridge as follows : The remark in this letter 
respecting a motto which he had assumed, shows his readiness to 
receive any suggestion respecting his conduct, even on slight 
and unimportant matters. 

44 I have been favoured with your kind letter. I had heard 
of the ninth babe at Rothley. May the dew of God's blessing 
descend on your increasing family, and make you all heirs of 
glory ! 

44 As soon as I had read your observations on the motto I 
sent for a carriage-painter, and erased it. W T e have had it 
nearly four years, and I never heard a word concerning its 
peculiarity. 

44 I have experienced very general and more than ordinary 
civilities from the members of the University, particularly from 
the Bishop of Bristol. His lordship introduced me to his 
family, as the man from whose books he and they had derived 
much instruction. He and Lord Hardwicke were sitting to- 
gether at Trinity Lodge when I called, reading my letter to the 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 391 

Court of Directors respecting Mr. Buller, not knowing that the 
Apology had been published since. It seems the book has 
been so little advertised that Dr. Jowett had not heard of it till 
the review in the last Christian Observer appeared. There is 
not a single copy of it, or of the Colonial Establishment, at a 
bookseller's in Cambridge. The bishop and his friends par- 
take of the spirit which animates you concerning Juggernaut. 

44 1 expect to be in London soon, when I hope to have the 
pleasure of seeing you. Your last letter proves that you are 
as desirous I should be without spot as yourself." 

Dr. Buchanan appears to have stayed about ten days at Cam- 
bridge, and then to have proceeded to London, where he was 
chiefly occupied in his preparations for the Syriac New Testa- 
ment. During his stay in town, he wrote the following letter 
to his daughters : 

"22d Nov., 1813. 

" My dear Charlotte and Augusta, — I return you many 
thanks for your letter. I am happy to hear thet you are both in 
good health ; and I doubt not you are both making a due pro- 
ficiency in your studies. 

" I am very much pleased, Charlotte, with your proposal 
to give five shillings to the West Indian Mission, which I shall 
do when I find the treasurer of the society. 

44 I sympathize with you, Augusta, on the death of the 
pretty bird, Cherry. But our grief is in vain. Its spirit will 
never return. But when Augusta's spirit takes the wing, it will 
live for ever ; and those who loved her on earth will once more 
love her in heaven, if she and they prove worthy of eternal life. 
Cherry, its seems, was singing a few minutes before its death. 
So, oftentimes, does the christian sing and exult in spirit at the 
thought of putting off the veil of flesh, and entering on the 
confines of immortality. May you and Charlotte, after you 
have accomplished God's will on earth, be enabled to sing your 
dying hymns ! 

44 1 may probably send your work-boxes, together with your 
Virgils, by the coach to Borobridge, before I return myself. 

44 Remember me kindly to Augusta ; and believe me to be, 
my dear Charlotte, your affectionate father, 

44 C. Buchanan." 

In December Dr. Buchanan returned to Cambridge, where 
he was diligently employed, not only in the learned work 
which he had undertaken, but in preparing an address, the oc- 
casion of which will be shortly stated. Of this, and, as it 



392 Memoirs of dr. fiuciUKAft. 

proved, his last visit to the University, his friend Colonel 
Sandys, who came from Cornwall to meet him, gives the fol- 
lowing brief but edifying account : 

4l I found my friend the most interesting christian, 

while residing in the tower of Erasmus, at Queen's College, 
the winter before last; where I passed my evenings with him 
while busily employed on the Syric version. 

44 Here the learned divine was, as it were, absorbed in the 
humble follower of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and here he dis- 
closed to me those views of his faith which I found beneficial 
to my own soul. His whole dependence was upon Christ, 
for wisdom, righteousness, sanclification and redemption !" 

The Dean of Carlisle, speaking of the same period, thus 
observes : 

44 1 saw a good deal of him during the last months of his 
residence at Queen's College ; at which time his constitution 
appeared to have suffered exceedingly, yet not so much as to 
induce one to predict a speedy dissolution. 

44 He was to the very last most indefatigable in his inquiries 
after eastern knowledge. 

44 You know how very entertaining and instructive he has 
made the printed reports of his travels and interviews with ex- 
traordinary persons : I had the good fortune to hear many of the 
same things from his own mouth." 

From Cambridge Dr. Buchanan wrote to his eldest daughter 
as follows : 

"Queer's College, 31st Dec, 1813. 

44 My dear Charlotte, — I am extremely concerned to hear of 
this accident to Mrs. Thompson, and accompanied with pain 
too. Tell her I truly ifympathize with her. But, when we consi- 
der it in another point of view, we must not call it an accident, 
which you know mean^ literally that which falls out by chance, 
for nothing comes from t^~!-4rf chance. We must view it as 
an evil permitted for some great good. I am pleased to see 
your assiduity during her confinement. I am also pleased, my 
dear Charlotte, that you have presented yourself at the table 
of the Lord. Your emotion on that occasion was very natural. 
I trust you will henceforward reap the spiritual fruits, and pro- 
ceed in the way of the Lord rejoicing. 

44 1 beg you will present to your grand-papa and grand-mamma, 
Augusta, and all the family, my affectionate congratulations on 
the new year. 

44 1 pray that it may be a year of temporal and spiritual bless- 
ing to you all. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 393 

" 1 do not go forth to visit yet, as the charge I am composing 
is not finished. I must send it to London on Tuesday next. 

" I fully enter into your feelings on your first alarm lest 
Mrs. T. should have been taken from you. But you see she is yet 
spared to you ; for although you are not her natural daughter, 
I hope you maintain and pray for a higher relation. There is 
noting durable and eternal but that union which is from Christ. 
Friendship, or relationship by blood, except growing on this 
foundation, will soon die. 

" I remain, my dear Charlotte, your affectionate father, 

" C. Buchanan." 

The employment which divided the time and attention of 
Dr. Buchanan with Syriac, during his residence at Cambridge, 
was the composition of a charge to be delivered, at the request 
of the Church Mission Society, to the Rev. Messrs. Green- 
wood and Norton, clergymen of the Established Church, pro- 
ceeding as missionaries to the island of Ceylon ; and to the 
Rev. Messrs. Schnarre and Rhenius, ministers of the German 
Lutheran^ Church, proceeding in the same sacred character to 
the coast of Coromandel. 

The readiness with w r hich the Court of Directors of the 
East India Company granted the requisite license to these 
pious men to proceed to the objects of their destination, was a 
proof of the benefits resulting from the late solemn legislative 
recognition of the duty of Great Britain with respect to the 
diffusion of Christianity in its eastern empire ; and the selec- 
tion of Dr. Buchanan to address these oriental missionaries 
w r as equally judicious and appropriate. 

The rapidity with which this admirable charge to them w r as 
composed, and the various information and important advice 
which it contained, proved the vigour of its author's under- 
standing and judgment; while the pure and fervent piety which 
breathes in every page, manifests the maturity of the advanced 
christian. 

The charge itself comprises an exposition of that w T ith which 
our Lord sent forth his apostles to preach the gospel. It forms, 
in fact, a manual of sound wisdom and instruction ; and deserves 
to be frequently perused and thoroughly digested by every one 
who aspires to the character and office of a missionary. Like 
the former productions of Dr. Buchanan, this address contains 
much important and interesting information ; and, though pri- 
marily intended for the missionary, may be read with much 
advantage by every minister of the gospel, and by every private 



394 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

christian. The following extracts will afford a brief specimen 
of the spirit and tendency of the whole. 

Speaking of the periodical accounts which the missionaries 
would he expected to give of their labours, Dr. Buchanan in- 
troduced the following important caution : 

" Let every page which you write be consecrated by sacred 
truth. Beware of that powerful self-deception whose opera- 
tion is sometimes commensurate with a man's zeal for his ob- 
ject, which leads him to deceive for God's sake, and to do par- 
tial evil, under the hope and plea that great good may come. 
If you would keep at a remote distance from such a tempta- 
tion, avoid amplification and embellishment in what makes for 
the credit and honour of your personal labours, or of those of 
your fellow missionaries. Like great generals, who recount 
their victories in few words, let a modesty of description cha- 
racterize your spiritual trophies." 

After pointing out, in a faithful and striking manner, the 
various ways hi which a minister, wdiether at home or abroad, 
may deny Christ, Dr. Buchanan thus continued : 

*' My brethren, you may preach to the Hindoos, and say, 
* Repent, and be converted ;' while, at the same time, indolence, 
or avarice, or sensual passion, seizes your own souls, and you 
are quite indifferent about their repentance or conversion, ex- 
cept as it adds to your own interest, or the fame of your 
mission. 

" Some who have preceded you, and have been solemnly 
designated to the sacred work, have fallen away. They de- 
clined from sound doctrine, or they were seduced from pure- 
ness of living ; and, instead of doing the work of an evangelist, 
they have lived an useless burthen on the society which sup- 
ported them. 

" I mention these things to warn you. But I have more 
pleasure in directing your view to other servants of Christ, 
whose bright example has illumined the East; who have been 
patterns of faith, diligence, prudence, and fortitude. From 
the ministers of the two churches to which you respectively 
belong, I shall select two illustrious characters, who have left 
a great example for them that follow. I mean the venerable 
Swartz, of the Lutheran Church, and the late Rev. David 
Brown, of the Church of England. These men did not deny 
Christ. They did not love father or mother more than Christ. 
They took up their cross and followed Christ. If you knew, 
as well as I do, the conflicts which they were called upon to 
sustain in the East, you would see how fitly the words of our 
Lord might be applied to them, ' Behold, I send you forth as 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 395 

lambs among wolves. But beware of men.' If you knew, 
again, the conjoined wisdom and innocence which they mani- 
fested in these conflicts, you would acknowledge that they stu- 
died to obey our Lord's admonition, i Be ye wise as serpents, 
and harmless as doves.' The character of both was marked 
by an extraordinary liberality of sentiment in regard to the dif- 
ferences in religious profession ; a liberality which others, in a 
confined sphere, could not well understand. In a word, they 
endured unto the end ; and both of them were enabled to gh * 
rify God in their deaths, by the manifestation of a joyful hope 
in the view of their dissolution. 

"I have thought that this short record of these good mep 
would find find a proper place in an address to young minis- 
ters who are in your circumstances. 4 Be ye also followers of 
them, who, through faith and patience, have inherited the 
promises!'" 

The appendix to this excellent charge contains some notices 
of the last hours of his late valued friend and colleague, Mr. 
Brown, which serve to illustrate the heavenly and devoted 
mind of that excellent man. 

The health of Dr. Buchanan rendering it impracticable for 
him to deliver his charge to the missionaries personally, that 
office was assigned to an eloquent friend, who did ample jus- 
tice to the composition. On the 7th of January it was accord- 
ingly addressed to them before a general meeting of the Church 
Mission Society, and was heard with a degree of attention and 
interest which appeared to promise the happiest effects from 
its author's exertions. 

It is to the circumstances which have been just related, that 
some parts of the following extracts to Colonel and Mr. Ma- 
caulay refer : 

" Queen's College, 3d Jan., 1814. 

" I have sent by to-night's mail, to Mr. Pratt, thirty-three 
pages of a charge to be delivered to the missionaries on Friday 
next. As I am quite unfit to go up myself, I have requested Mr. 
Dealtry to read the paper for me. He may select such parts 
as he thinks best for the occasion. 

" Dr. Milner approves of the passage upon * denying Christ;' 
but I do not know what others may think of it." 

" Queen's College, 7th January. 
" The Bishop of Chester has expressed his wish that I 
would retain the curacy of Great Ouseburn, which I was about 
to resign, under the impression that I could not conscientiously 



396 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

accept a license (under the new act) as a resident curate, when 
it was notorious that I am not resident. But the bishop is 
persuaded that the duties of the parish will be performed to 
his entire satisfaction by myself or by my direction. His 
diocese extends to our parish. 

44 1 inhabit Erasmus' rooms. They are chiefly remarkable 
for an immense corkscrerv, about a third of a yard long, which 
tradition assigns to that eminent scholar." 

" Queen's College, 13th January. 

44 My dear Sir, — Many thanks for your letter. It is most 
satisfactory. I have constructed the note as you desired, with- 
out names or places. It is now round and smooth, like a perfect 
chrysolite, and will excite many a smile and many a frown. 

44 1 was smiling to think what a fine long letter I drew from 
you. I see you can work, if we will only tell you what 
to do. 

44 1 entirely approve of your flitting to southern regions this 
severe weather. I cannot look out at the window on the 
dreary waste of snow, but I think I see Bonaparte and his 
squadrons, half covered, retreating towards Gogmagog hills. 
The thermometer is at 12. 

44 Wishing you good fires, and every blessing, I remain, my 
dear sir, very sincerely yours, C. Buchanan." 

" Queen's College, 13th January. 

44 It was indeed somewhat new to hear strains of commenda- 
tion from the lips of Mr. T. in public. The whole assembly 
seem to have been in good humour. The view of the four 
missionaries, perhaps, melted their hearts ; and the news of 
the allies crossing the Rhine had just arrived. Mr. Famish 
says he enjoyed the occasion exceedingly. 

44 1 consulted the college to day concerning the proposed ad- 
mission of Mr. Lee, the Shrewsbury linguist. It was agreed 
to admit him at Queen's." 

" Queen's College, 7th February. 
44 1 see in the last Christian Observer that Schaaf 's Lexicon 
is mentioned as preparing for the press by subscription. Will 
you be so good as to inform me who is publishing it ? for I 
was about commencing the work at my own expense, and the 
printer had just sent me an estimate. But I shall be most 
happy if the work has been undertaken by another. Mr. 
Kelly, of Dublin, wrote to me last week to say that he was 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 397 

projecting something in the way of a Syriac lexicon ; but he 
wished me not to delay my work on account of his, as he 
knew not when it would be finished. 

11 I propose to leave Cambridge for Kirby Hall on the 17th 
instant." 

Dr. Duchanan returned into Yorkshire about the time just 
mentioned, and continued there till the month of July follow- 
ing. While there, he wrote thus to a friend : " I am stronger 
than I was ; but my defect in utterance and breath remains, 
and also my want of memory ; which shows that my illness 
affected the mind a good deal." 

The committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society had 
now determined to print the edition of the Syriac New Testa- 
ment, which Dr. Buchanan had been so anxiously endeavour- 
ing to obtain for the use of the Syrian christians on the coast 
of Malabar. With his usual zeal and liberality, he engaged to 
prepare the text, and superintend the execution of the work, 
at his own expense. For this purpose he again left Yorkshire, 
and took up his residence, first at Cheshunt, and afterwards at 
Wormley, and Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, at which latter 
place the printer lived who had undertaken the work. Soon 
after his arrival, he wrote to Mrs. Thompson as follows : 

" Turnford Hall, Cheshunt, Herts, 
23d July, 1814. 

" My dear Mrs. T. — I arrived here last Saturday, on which 
day I wrote you a few lines. Since that time I have been 
daily employed in superintending the press, and corresponding 
with the Bible Society, w r ith the syndics of the University 
Press, Cambridge, and with friends respecting tutors for the 
two noble families which I lately visited. 

" I live with a widow lady and her daughters. They never 
had boarders before; but, hearing that I wanted accommodation 
of this kind in the village, they received me. We have morn- 
ing and evening prayers just as at Skelton Lodge. I have my 
meals by myself, being willing to husband my voice, in the 
hope that it will acquire some strength. I walk in the mea- 
dows by the side of the river Lee, and endeavour to meditate 
on things spiritual and eternal. There are few days in which 
I do not think of Mary, now among the blessed. I envy her 
happy lot, but yet I have just strength to pray that I may be 
enabled to serve God in my generation. 

" Mr. Yeates is come from London to co-operate with me* 
It is not decided yet whether one half of my work is to go on 
at Cambridge or not. They, however, expect me at Queen's 

l1 



308 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

College, and I think it probable I shall go there in about 3 
month, if, indeed, I do not go nearer to London; for Mr. 
Watts, my printer, has just informed me that he is about to 
remove his printing establishment to the metropolis. 

44 I hope to hear that your foot is almost well. Jacob, you 
know, 'halted' to the day of his death; but then every false 
step would remind him of his victory with God. And yet 
this 4 prince with God,' would not be comforted when he 
thought Joseph was dead! How encompassed with infirmity 
is man, even regenerated man ; man, partaker of the divine 
nature ! 

44 I hope that Charlotte and Augusta are happy and well. 
Jacob prayed, saying, 4 God, which fed me all my life long 
unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from evil, bless 
the lads.' That is a prayer which I would offer up for Char- 
lotte and Augusta. / also have been 4 redeemed from much 
evil' during an eventful life ; and so have they, hitherto. A 
boy about Augusta's age is dying near us here. He broke his 
leg by some imprudent exertion, and the fever induced is likely 
to prove fatal. His mother sits by him and cannot eat. He 
belonged to a Sunday school, and desires those hymns to be 
read to him which speak of Christ's atoning for wicked chil- 
dren. My love to you all. Adieu. C. B." 

The pensive tenor of a part of the preceding letter will ap- 
pear peculiarly interesting, when it is considered that Dr. Bu- 
chanan was now fast approaching the confines of that world 
whither so many of those who were dear to him had gone be- 
fore. Amongst others, the son of his friend, Colonel Sandys, 
for whose welfare he had been affectionately concerned, was 
about this time departing in the faith and hope of the gospel. 
He thus replied to the intelligence which had announced to him 
the delightful change in his views and feelings since the time 
when he had visited him in Yorkshire : 

44 What wonderful news yon relate ! Yonr dear son Wil- 
liam speaks of ' the unsearchable riches of Christ,' and mag- 
nifies his Saviour in the eyes of men ! This is certainly a 
great triumph of divine grace. However, I anticipated it, as 
you know ; for I was persuaded he would be given to your 
persevering prayers. 

44 Be pleased to give him my most affectionate remembrance ; 
and tell him he is about to be ushered into a glory which good 
men upon earth have been contemplating for many years, but 
have not yet enjoyed. He has obtained the victory without 
the battle ; for the Captain of his salvation has fought for him. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 399 

May his faith be firm and ardent to the last, that he may per- 
severe in and complete his glorious testimony!" 

u Wormlet, Herts, 5th August, 1814. 

" My dear Sir, — I rejoiee that you have taken up the Pro- 
phecies for the Hindoos. Follow your own judgment and 
ruminate on your sofa, and you will possibly devise something 
new. The Hindoos want a short, clear account, a striking 
picture, solemn assertion, and dogmatic theology. 

" ' The holy prophet Isaiah, who wrote in poetic strains, 
lived in such an era. Though ignorant and unlearned persons 
of India know it not, yet the learned of Europe, who are ac- 
quainted with the histories of the world, are as well assured 
that Isaiah wrote his Prophecy in the times of King Ahaz, &c, 
as that such a man lived in the time of Gengis Khan, Tamer- 
lane, or Akbar the Great, 

* " So of Matthew and his host of witnesses.'* 

" Short sentences, and no involved construction, will do best 
for oriental translation and capacity. Let your picture suit a 
Thames street carman, and it will do for a Hindoo. A tract 
of ten octavo pages is a good size. But as you cannot easily 
confine within such small bounds all the fine things that may 
occur to you on the subject, proceed ad libitum to a pamphlet 
or book, which may be translated for the Brahmins and more 
learned. But the short tract is the book for use to the mul- 
titude. This you may express from the larger work when it 
is finished, as genuine spirit is drawn from the vat. 

" * * * That the evidence of prophecy will convince the 
human mind is true : but that ' the leaves of the prophet quietly 
dispersed,' without concomitant illustration of historic argu- 
ment and fact by preachers or writing, is not true. 

" I hope you will not be in a hurry to deliver any thing to 
the society. Short tracts on other parts of the Old and New 
Testaments are wanted, so as to embrace the whole code in 
different striking and simple forms. Nobody has told the Hin- 
doos yet what our Shaster is. They have not got the whole 
book to read. If they had, epitomes are yet necessary for in- 
fant and ignorant minds, epitomes of one page, two, three, 
four, ten, twenty, and fifty pages. The whole Bible will oc- 
cupy 1400 pages of their ordinary character of writing. It is 
but charity then to tell them what is in it, and invite their 
study. 

'* I am, dear sir^ very sincerely yours, 

C, Buchanan/' 



400 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

" WoRMLET, ClIESHUKT, Aug. 17, 1814. 

44 My dear Sir, — I have come to this place for a while, to 
superintend the printing of the Syriac works now in the press. 
I want the following books, which I cannot find in the public 
library at Cambridge ; viz. 

44 1. Reusch's Syrus Interpres cum fonte N. T. Graeci col- 
latus. 1742. 

44 2. Miehaelis's Cura: in Actus Apostolorum Syriacos. 

44 3. Storrius, on the Syriac Language and Versions. 

44 4. Michaelis (the father) De Var. Lect. Nov. Test, caute 
colligendis. 

44 5. Gloster Ridley's Dissertatio de Syriacis Versionibus. 

44 6. Amira's Syriac Grammar; and 

44 7. Professor Bode'sPseudocriticaMillio-Bengeliana. 1767. 

44 Now if your own library, or if the Oxford Libraries 
through your means, could supply me with these or some of 
them, you will confer on me a particular obligation, I have 
perused some of them at the British Museum, but I cannot 
have them here. 

44 1 rejoice to hear from time to time of your labours, and of 
the triumphs of the gospel at the church of St. John's. It is a 
theatre of grander events than the General Congress. 

44 My own health is slowly improving, but I am yet wholly 
incapable of vocal exertion. 

44 1 remain, my dear sir, very sincerely yours, 

C. Buchanan." 

The succeeding extracts from letters to different friends de- 
scribe the general state of Dr. Buchanan's health, feelings, and 
employment during the remainder of this year : 

44 To Mrs. Thompson. 

" Woemiei, Herts, Aug. 2, 1814. 
44 1 have been twice bled, I think, since I w r rote, and 
must, I fear, suffer further depletion. With returning strength 
my constitution brought with it, what was to be apprehended, 
a tendency to fulness. And possibly I must soon revert to 
abstemiousness and the painful seton. But the Lord's disposal 
is the best for this world and for the next. I seek to do his 
will. 

44 To his Daughters. 

"August 22. 
44 I am not very sure that I shall be able to execute what I 
have undertaken by the time proposed. There are three print- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 401 

ing presses at work, and I am obliged to read and correct every 
word in Syriac, Latin, and English." 

" To Colonel Macaulay* 

" Woioiley, 8th September. 

" Two Cochin Jews, who recollect you very well, are in dis- 
tress for a passage back to India. I would try to aid them if I 
knew to whom to apply. But I fear the company are not in 
the habit of giving a passage to persons of their description. 
You will know better than I what to recommend them to do. - 

" Since the peace you have been passing through many 
countries, and doing good. I, on the other hand, have been 
stationary, travelling slowly through the regions of the New 
Testament, I congratulate you on your equable health. My 
own was well confirmed for a while ; but it is again in a criti- 
cal state."" 

" To Mrs. Thompson. 

1 Wormlei, September 14. 
u I know not God's will. I think less of seeing another au- 
tumn than at any former time. If, however, I live, I shall 
most probably go to Ireland, or to the continent ; I mean Paris 
and Rome. I wish I could have visited both these latter places 
before I had commenced my present work." 

" To Miss Buchanan. 

"BiiGXEoriLXE, 7th December. 

" My dear Charlotte, — Many thanks to you for your letter. 
I am glad that Augusta's queries have afforded Mr. Graham 
so fair an opportunity of displaying his classical powers. But 
the true Virgilian model requires the first words to be Sic vos 
non vobis. Would that poor Virgil could have understood 
the distich which Mr. G. has written. But, alas ! that divine 
poet, as he has been called, never heard of an atonement for 
the sins of men. He had, however, some confused idea of 
the coming of a Messiah, or Prince from heaven, who should 
regenerate an evil world. This you will see in his Polilo, 
one of the Bucolics ; which I will thank you to read as soon 
as you have finished the sixth book of the iEneid. 

"I am happy to hear that you read a little of the sacred 
language on Sunday. As there is no Italian teacher at present 
in York, you must postpone your acquaintance with the ' mo- 
dern Roman' till an opportunity offers, 

l!2 



402 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN 

11 I hope you will not leave thorough bass till you understand 
it thoroughly. 

" You ask me for Mr. Slater's drawing. I sat to him two 
mornings, but contrived to have a sheet of Syriac placed in 
the direction I was to look. He complained that I was thought- 
ful. I told him of the talent of Sir Joshua Reynolds ; who 
by his fascinating discourse contrived to keep his patients (a 
proper term / think for persons subjected to this operation) 
in a state of high good humour, particularly with themselves, 
which showed itself in their beaming and expanded looks. 
When Mr. Slater had done, 1 looked in vain for the beaming 
and expanded look. Mr. S. accused the Syriac. I told him, 
I thought the picture was that of an ill-looking man. He said 
lie thought it was a good likeness. I only saw it for two mi- 
nutes, after sitting to it two days. I told him he might send it 
down to Mrs. Thompson, and he should be at liberty to en- 
grave it, if it obtained her approbation. I desired him to send 
with it, as a present to you and Augusta, a print of Mrs. Han- 
nah More : that you may have before your eyes a lady who 
made so good an use of her opportunities for study between 
the fourteenth and seventeenth years of her age, that the world 
has been benefitted by it ever since. 

'•Yesterday Mr. B. and Mr. S. spent the whole day with 
me. Their object was to procure my name as secretary of 
the Jewish Society. But I had radical objections to the con- 
stitution of that society in its present form, and suggested reno- 
vation and improvement. 

"I should like to be present at the famous duet for three 
voices. I hope I shall be with you shortly after Christmas. I 
must superintend the printers till the day they break up for 
their own holidays, which I suppose will be on Christmas day. 
Besides, I wish to see the four Gospels finished if possible 
before my long journey. 

4, I have not seen the Velvet Cushion. The ladies tell me 
it is a very amusing and instructive work. 

"My love to Mrs. T. and Augusta ; and I remain, my dear 
Charlotte, your affectionate father, C. Buchanan." 

" BroxbouFvXe. Herts, Dec. 17, 1814. 

4i My dear Sandys, — I thank you for your letter of the 12th, 
which informs me that you and seven children are well. There 
are a great many blessings comprehended in that expres- 
sion. 

" I am glad that you have been enabled to write a narrative 
of the rise and progress of religion in the soul of William. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 403 

Under whatever form it eventually appear, I doubt not but it 
will do good. Particularly among his young relatives in Corn- 
wall, such a record must appear as a solemn witness. 

" My health continues much the same. I take a little exer- 
cise on horseback, live low, go to bed early, and rise generally 
to read by candle-light. By such means, under the blessing 
of God, I am enabled to carry on my present undertaking. 
But a slight return of indisposition would suspend the whole. 
I therefore would live a pensioner on God's mercy for the 
hour. 

" A letter from Mr. Udny informs me that Miss. F. died 
lately, and had peace in death, ' her heart having been long 
previously weaned from the world.' He speaks with satisfac- 
tion of the effect of a work I published two years ago, entitled 
1 Colonial Ecclesiastical Establishment.' 

"I beg to be affectionately remembered to Mrs. S. and to 
Allan. The purpose of the latter to cultivate his mind by 
classical knowledge is very gratifying to me. 

"I am very affectionately yours, C. Buchanan." 

" To Mrs Thompson. 

"Broxbotjrxe, Dec. 24. 

" My dear Mrs. T. — I write to say that I hope to be with 
you in the course of the first week of the new year. It is, 
however, doubtful whether I shall not be detained till the 9th 
or 10th of January. I shall at all events write before I 
set off. 

" What detains me is the wish to complete the four Gospels 
before I leave this place, lest I should never return. » For 
what is our life V saith St. James, ' It is eveu a vapour, that 
appeareth for a little time, and then vanishes away.' 

" I have had another visit from Mr. S. and Mr. L. W. on 
the subject of the Jewish Society. I proposed that the institu- 
tion, in whatsoever degree supported by church members, 
should be exclusively a Church of England Society. I de- 
clined, however, pledging myself for its support, further than 
by offering my best advice. I desired them to communicate 
their plans and wishes to all good and eminent ministers in the 
kingdom, to request useful hints and affectionate support, and 
to do nothing of themselves : — not to call their society, ' for 
conversion of the Jews :' but a society for the education of 
Jewish children ; for diffusing the New Testament among the 
Jews ; for corresponding with them concerning the Messiah 
in all lands ; and for the diffusion of Jewish literature. Lastly, 



404 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN* 

to connect t]ie institution with the Church Missionary Society, 
the end being the same. 

" I have just received letters from India. Sabat, who had left 
his christian society, and it was feared would never return, has 
returned to Calcutta, and is again translating the scriptures. 
He confessed to Mr. Thomason that he could find no rest for 
the soles of his feet. 

"Mr. T. sends me the third annual Report of the Calcutta 
Auxiliary Bible Society, which I shall take down with me, if 
I remember it. My love to all till I see you. 

11 Your very affectionate son, C. Buchanan." 

Dr. Buchanan's visit to the north was but of short duration. 
On the 19th of January, 1815, he returned to Broxbourne ; 
from whence he wrote to Mrs. Thompson as follows : 

" My dear Mrs. T. — I could have reached this place yester- 
day, but I reserved seventeen miles for this morning. I slept 
on Monday night at Carleton Hall. 1 travelled about a hundred 
miles next day in post chaises ; and, though it snowed, I was 
warm and comfortable all the way. My only mishap was los- 
ing my diamond pin somewhere, which I have had for ten 
years. I now use one of those Augusta gave me. Thus we 
cease to sparkle. 

" I found all at home well. One of the letters on my table 
was from Mr. John Thornton, nephew to Mr. Henry Thornton, 
informing me of the illness of his uncle, and requesting letters 
of introduction to his brother going to India. 

" Another letter was from Mr. Macaulay, mentioning the 
increasing illness of Mr. Thornton, and comparing him, after 
twenty-two years' acquaintance, rather to the character of the 
saints in the next life, than in this ; ' the justman made perfect.' 

" I request you will alter any thing in my written or oral 
instructions to Charlotte and Augusta, according to your dis- 
cretion. If the verse in the morning appear to be an unfruit- 
ful task, it may be discontinued by both. 

" My love to them ; and believe me to be, my dear Mrs. T., 
your affectionate son, C. Buchanan." 

"Thus I have been enabled to accomplish a journey of 
four hundred miles with health and strength. Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, for all his goodness. May I only live to his 
glory!" 

A letter to Mr. Macaulay, on the same day on which the 
preceding was dated, briefly but emphatically notices the fatal 
termination of Mr. Henry Thornton's illness, and the anxiety 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN- 405 

of Dr. Buchanan to pay the only tribute of respect which 
remained to his memory. 

"BnoxnouRNE, Thursday, 19th Jan. 

11 My dear Friend, — On my return from Yorkshire this morn- 
ing, where I have been for a fortnight on a visit to my family, 
I found your letter of the 11th inst. lying on my table. 

"The first intimation I had of Mr. Thornton's illness was 
on Monday last at Carleton Hall, Workshop. On my arrival 
here, I found your letter, and one from Mr. John Thornton 
confirming the painful intelligence. I w T as just going to sit 
down to request that he would communicate to his uncle my 
feelings on the occasion, and my request to go to town to visit 
him if he had strength to see me, when, casually looking into 
the paper, I found that he had died on the Tuesday. All 
I can now do is to attend the funeral of this good man, my 
earliest and most particular friend and benefactor. I have re- 
quested Mr. John Thornton to let me know on what day the 
funeral takes place. In case of mistake, will you have the 
goodness to mention to me the time and place, and I shall go 
out early in the morning, and return in the evening, as my 
present work will not permit me conveniently to be absent a 
night 

" I desire to thank you most unfeignedly for your kindness 
to the two Cochin Jews. 

" With kindest regards to Mrs. M., I am very affectionate- 
ly yours, C. Buchanan." 

On the 22d Dr. Buchanan wrote to Mr. Macaulay as follows : 

"My dear Friend, — I have just received your note, and I 
propose to go on Tuesday morning, so as to be at your house 
by twelve o'clock, if I should not have joined the procession 
before that time. I shall be happy to dine with you, and to take 
a bed at your house, and return next morning after breakfast. 

" Yours, ever affectionately, , C. Buchanan." 

It w T as upon the solemn and affecting occasion thus referred 
to, that the author of these memoirs met Dr. Buchanan for the 
last time. A crowd of other friends, distinguished by their 
talents, rank, and piety, united in lamenting the loss of the 
eminent person around whose tomb they were assembled. 
Amidst that mourning throng, it will readily be believed by 
those who recollect his obligations to Mr. Thornton, as well as 
his just appreciation of the various excellencies of his revered 
friend, that no one shed more sincere tears over his grave than 



406 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

Dr. Buchanan. Doubtless he then felt, as he seemed to feel, 
in common with a multitude of other persons, that another of 
those ties by which he had been linked to this world was de- 
stroyed. The writer of these pages remembers, with sensa- 
tions of melancholy yet pleasing regret, the peculiarly holy 
and heavenly strain of conversation with which Dr. Buchanan 
cheered and edified his friends on the evening of that mourn- 
ful day, and on the morning of his return into Hertfordshire ; 
little thinking that it would be the last opportunity of their 
enjoying that privilege. 

Of this short and affecting visit to Clapham, the following 
interesting anecdote has been communicated by a friend at whose 
house Dr. Buchanan took up his abode : 

" He was relating to me," observes this gentleman, " as we 
walked together from the church-yard where we had deposited 
the mortal remains of Henry Thornton, the course he was 
pursuing with respect to the printing of the Syriac Testament. 
He stated that his solicitude to render it correct had led him to 
adopt a plan of revision which required him to read each sheet 
five times over before it went finally to the printer. The par- 
ticulars of the plan I do not very distinctly remember. It was, 
however, something of this kind : He first prepared the sheets 
for the press. When the proof was sent, he read it over at- 
tentively, instituting a comparison with the original, and looking 
into the various readings, &c. A revise was sent him, which 
he carefully examined, making corrections. This was sub- 
mitted to Mr. Yeates. When it came from him he read it 
again, adopting such of his suggestions as he thought right. 
When the printer had made the requisite correction he sent a 
fresh revise, after being read, to Mr. Lee, and reperused it when 
it came from him. A third revise was then procured, which 
Ije again examined before it was finally committed to the press. 
I do not know that I am precisely accurate in this statement, 
but it was something of the above description. 

" While giving me this detail he stopped suddenly, and 
burstin tears. I was somewhat alarmed. When he had recover- 
ed himself he said, ' Do not be alarmed. I am not ill ; but I 
was completely overcome with the recollection of the delight 
which I had enjoyed in this exercise. At first I was disposed 
to shrink from the task as irksome, and apprehended that I 
should find even the scriptures pall by the frequency of this 
critical examination. But so far from it, every fresh perusal 
seemed to throw fresh light on the word of God, and to con* 
vey additional joy and consolation to my mind.' " 

How delightful is the contemplation of a servant of Christ 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 407 

thus devoutly engaged in his heavenly Master's work, almost 
to the very moment of his transition to the divine source of 
light and truth itself! 

The pious and elevated frame of Dr. Buchanan's mind is 
evident from another incident which occurred at this time. 

In passing through London on his return to Broxbourne, he 
spent a few hours with a friend whom he had met upon the so- 
lemn occasion of the preceding day. In the course of their 
conversation, his friend observed, how affecting was the consi- 
deration of the removal of so many great and good men, whom 
they had lately had occasion to lament, in the prime of life and 
in the midst of their usefulness. To this observation Dr. Bu- 
chanan replied, " So long as they were still on earth, and the' 
divine will was not known, it was our duty fervently to pray 
for their recovery and lengthened life ; but, when once that will 
has been discovered by the event, we should rejoice and praise 
God that he has received them to himself, and hasten to follow 
them to his heavenly kingdom." It was not long before he 
himself afforded another illustration of this remark ; which, 
though not unfrequently made, was peculiarly chaiacteristic of 
that spirit of calm and habitual submission to the will of God, 
and of lively faith in the realities of an eternal world, by which 
he was distinguished. 

The extreme severity of the weather had excited some ap- 
prehensions in the minds of many as to the probable effect of 
Dr. Buchanan's exposure to it during some hours of the pre- 
ceding day. He did not, however, appear at the time to have 
suffered by it, and reached Broxbourne on the 25th of January 
in safety. 

On the first of February he wrote to Mrs. Thompson, in- 
forming her of the solemn scene at which he had lately been 
present, describing the numerous and respectful attendance at 
the funeral of Mr. Thornton, and expressing his earnest desire to 
follow him to the same blessed inheritance. 

This w T as the last communication of Dr. Buchanan to his 
distant friends. The time of his departure was now fast ap- 
proaching. He continued, however, his christian undertaking 
to the last. On his return from Yorkshire, he had proceeded 
with the preparation of the Syriac version of the Acts of the 
Apostles, and had advanced, on the day preceding his death, 
to the twentieth chapter ; in which the zealous and affectionate 
apostle, in his address to the elders of Ephesus, expresses his 
conviction of his final separation from his friends in these re- 
markable words : " And now, behold, I know that ye all, 
among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, 



408 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

shall see my face no more." The chapter which thus closed 
the labours of Dr. Buchanan, and in which he seemed to hid 
farewell to every earthly association, was but too prophetic of 
the event which was about so shortly to take place. Of his 
few remaining days, and of his sudden removal to that higher 
world, for which he had long been ripening, the following let- 
ter to the Rev. Mr. Kempthorne, from his confidential servant, 
who was his only attendant in Hertfordshire, though unavoida- 
bly inadequate to the anxious wishes of his friends, affords a 
minute and faithful account. 

u BRoxBoiRxr., 12th Feb. 1815. 

''Rev. Sir, — In case of your not having been made acquainted, 
through the public papers, of the decease of my dear master, 
Dr. Buchanan, I feel it my duty to write to you on the subject. 

11 The doctor's state of health, as you may have understood, 
had improved during his residence here, up to the time of his 
late visit to Yorkshire ; but the fatigue of that journey, proba- 
bly added to an attendance, in a week after his return, in bad 
weather, at the funeral of Mr. Henry Thornton, brought on an 
apparently slight indisposition, which the doctor himself, I be- 
lieve, considered merely a cold. On Thursday last, however, 
while making a morning's call on some of the neighbours, he 
was taken with something of a fainting fit, which passed off 
without his considering it of consequence enough to require 
medical assistance. As the sickness came on again towards 
evening, I took the liberty to disobey my master's orders, and 
to send for the medical gentleman whose skill had so much ap- 
peared in the improvement of the doctor's health in the pre- 
ceding months. This gentleman was with him about nine 
o'clock in the evening, and did not express any apprehension of 
danger. Dr. Buchanan retired a little past ten. saying he was 
better : and, as he expected to get a little sleep, wished me not 
to disturb him to take the second medicine till he rung the 
bell. About half-past eleven, sitting on the watch for the sum- 
mons, I fancied I heard something of an hiccough ; which in- 
duced me, contrary to orders, to enter the chamber, and to in- 
quire if he was worse. He signified he was worse. On which I 
instantly alarmed the family, and sent for assistance ; and then 
returned to the bedside, where my master appeared labouring 
under a spasm in the breast. He intimated a wish for me to 
hold his head: and in this posture, without struggle or convul- 
sion, his breath appeared to leave him ; so that before twelve, 
by w 7 hich time Mr. Watts, the printer, Mr. Yeates, and a few 
other neighbours, were with me, we were obliged to conclude 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 409 

that our excellent friend's spirit had joined the glorified saints 
above. I should have mentioned that, on returning home in the 
morning after the fit, Dr. Buchanan seemed lame on the left 
side ; but, as it went off, he did not think it of any consequence. 
I have reason to think it might be a third attack of paralysis. 
The medical man, on his coming after my master's dissolution, 
said it did not surprise him. A letter was immediately for- 
warded, by express, to communicate the melancholy intelli- 
gence to my master's family in Yorkshire ; from whence some , 
one is hourly expected. Mr. Macaulay was also written to ; 
and Mr. Simeon at Cambridge. On Saturday Mr. Babington, 
the member for Leicester, came down, and approved of the , 
precaution and arrangements taken immediately after the depart- 
ure of my master ; both as to putting seals on the drawers, 
study, &c. &c. 

" With the greatest respect, I beg to subscribe myself, Rev. 
Sir, your most obedient faithful servant, T. Vaux." 

Such was the sudden summons by which, on the 9th Oi 
February, 1815, in the 49th year of his age, this eminent ser- 
vant of God was called to his heavenly rest. To himself it 
could scarcely be said to have been unexpected. The debili- 
tated constitution which he brought with him from India, and 
the repeated shocks it had subsequently sustained, led him ha- 
bitually to regard his continuance in life as extremely uncertain 
and precarious; while his various afflictions, personal and do- 
mestic, had tended to withdraw his thoughts and affections 
from the world, and to fix them on spiritual and eternal objects. 
We have seen that in fulfilling the important engagement which 
terminated his earthly course, he evidently appeared to be work- 
ing while it was called " to-day," and to be constantly an- 
ticipating the near approach of " the night," in which he 
could no longer work. Of his habitual preparation for the 
hour of his departure, no one can entertain a doubt, who has 
marked the scriptural foundation of his faith, and the unques- 
tionable evidences of its sincerity, in the long and uniform 
tenor of his truly christian career. It might, perhaps, have 
been desirable, both for himself and for others, that some in- 
terval, however short, had been vouchsafed ; in which this 
" good and faithful servant" of his Lord might have had an 
opportunity of renewing his repentance, of testifying his faith, 
of perfecting his patience, of purifying and exalting his charity, 
of bidding a more solemn and express farewell to " things seen 
and temporal," of preparing more deliberately and devoutly 

Mm 



410 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

for an immediate entrance upon " things unseen and eternal."* 
Such an interval, however, so precious to the generality of 
mankind, and usually so important, the divine wisdom did not 
see fit to grant to the subject of these memoirs. Neither, in- 
deed, can it be said to have been necessary. The readers of 
the preceding narrative have already observed Dr. Buchanan 
in India, upon what he strongly, though erroneously, believed 
would prove his death-bed ; and they have witnessed the 
deeply penitent, yet resigned and peaceful frame of mind 
which he then exhibited. Such, as we are evidently authorized 
to conclude, only of a mature and heavenly nature, would 
have been his testimony and his feelings, had he been allowed 
again to express them. In the absence, however, of any such 
opportunity, we must be contented to recur to that scene ; and, 
together with the recollection of his subsequent " work of faith, 
and labour of love, and patience of hope," endeavour to enter 
into the full meaning of the following brief sentence, which 
occurs amidst a few other " private thoughts," and in which 
its author appears plainly to have anticipated the probability of 
some final stroke, which should impede the exercise of his 
faculties, and prove the prelude to his departure. " If," said 
he, "my mind and memory should be affected by illness of body, 
I shall look to my head, Christ. I am but a member." From 
any painful infliction of this kind Dr. Buchanan was merciful- 
ly spared, and, after having paid the last sad tribute of affection 
to the friend and benefactor of his early years, was removed 
almost contemporaneously and reunited to him, and to other 
kindred spirits of the " just made perfect," in regions where 
sickness and sorrow, change and separation, are for ever 
unknown. 

In consequence of a wish he had expressed to Mrs. Thomp- 
son, not long before his death, the remains of Dr. Buchanan 
were removed from Broxbourne to Little Ouseburn, in York- 
shire, and deposited near those of his second lamented wife. 
A monumental inscription, written by the Rev. W. Richard- 
son, of York, records in plain but expressive language the lead- 
ing particulars of his life and character.! 

It may, perhaps, be expected that a more definite and compre- 
hensive review should be given of both at the close of these me- 
moirs. The length, however, to which they have been already 
extended, and the distinctness with which the events of Dr. 



* See the exquisite defence, by the pious and learned Hooker, of the petition 
in the Litany against "sudden death.'' Ecclesiastical Polity, vol. ii. p. 175. 
t See the end of the volume. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 411 

Buchanan's life and the features of his character have been 
marked, will only require such a general recapitulation as may 
assist the reader in forming a correct judgment of the whole. 

In reviewing the history of Dr. Buchanan, our attention 
must be first directed to his religious character. It was this 
which originally introduced him to our notice, and by this 
he was principally distinguished throughout his benevolent and 
useful career. The deep and solemn impression of religion, 
which, through the grace of God, was made upon his mind 
in his twenty-fourth year, formed the commencement of a life 
devoted to the service of Christ. We have traced the effects 
of this great spiritual change in the course of his studies at the 
University of Cambridge, during his various labours in India, ' 
and his continued exertions after his return to this country. 
Amidst these diversified scenes and engagements, an energetic 
conviction of the infinite importance and value of the gospel, 
and a lively sense of his own obligations to that grace which 
had made him effectually acquainted with its blessings, were 
the commanding principles which actuated his conduct. 

Those who know little of real Christianity may, perhaps, at- 
tribute his earnestness and activity in religion, as they would 
that of the great apostle himself, to enthusiasm, zeal forprose- 
lytism, or the love of fame. But the whole tenor of this nar- 
rative sufficiently proves that no corrupt, w r eak, or worldly 
motives swayed his mind. The great object to which he de- 
voted his life, engaged him in an unceasing contest with the 
principles and the prejudices of those whom a regard to his 
worldly interest would have led him carefully to conciliate ; 
and, though his benevolent exertions undoubtedly procured him 
many valuable friends, few men of such sober and practical 
views, and of such genuine philanthropy, have gone through 
a greater variety of "evil" as well as of " good report." 
With still less justice can the activity of Dr. Buchanan in the 
great labour of his life be ascribed to a controversial or inno- 
vating spirit. He was, on the contrary, disposed, both by con- 
stitution and principle, to avoid rather than court opposition ; 
while, during several years the languor of declining health was 
continually urging him to self-indulgence and repose. 

Amidst such powerful inducements to a very different line 
of conduct, it is scarcely possible not to percieve that Dr. Bu- 
chanan could only have been actuated by pure and disinterest- 
ed motives. The love of Christ and of the souls of men, and a 
fervent desire to be the instrument of imparting to others that 
unspeakable blessing which he had himself received, w r ere in 
reality the springs both of his public and private exertions. 



412 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

These were the principles by which he was animated, and 
which supported him with equanimity and patience amidst la- 
bour and reproach, infirmity and sorrow, and even rendered 
him joyful in tribulation. 

Combined with these motives, Dr. Buchanan possessed a 
spirit of lively and vigorous faith, which substantiated " things 
not seen," and led him to think and act under a strong impres- 
sion of their truth and reality. He was therefore eminently a 
practical man. Though inclined by natural taste, and the ha- 
bits of a learned and scientific education, to indulge in specu- 
lative pursuits and pleasures, the strength of his faith, and the 
ardour of his love towards objects of spiritual and eternal con- 
cern, rescued him from their fascination, and taught him to ac- 
count all knowledge, and all occupation, vain and unimportant, 
compared with that which tended to render himself and others 
" wise unto salvation," Hence, from the period at which the 
religious necessities of his own countrymen in India, and the 
moral state of its benighted native inhabitants, first impress- 
ed his mind, the life of Dr. Buchanan exhibits a continued 
series of strenuous, self-denying, and disinterested efforts to sup- 
ply the deficiencies, and to ameliorate the condition, which he 
lamented. 

For the accomplishment of this great purpose, he was ad- 
mirably qualified both by natural and acquired advantages. 
Sagacious and observant, calm and persevering, resolute, yet 
mild and courteous, he took a penetrating and extensive survey 
of the various objects around him ; and, omitting points of in- 
ferior consideration and importance, fixed his attention on the 
grand and prominent features by which they were distinguish- 
ed. The temper also and habits of Dr. Buchanan were pecu- 
liarly calculated to soften the asperities, and to remove the pre- 
judices, of opponents, to treat with men of every rank upon 
their own grounds, and to engage them in promoting the great 
objects which he himself had in view; while the comprehen- 
siveness of his mind, and the munificence of his disposition, 
enabled him both to conceive and execute designs of no ordinary 
difficulty and magnitude. 

We have accordingly seen in the course of these memoirs 
that, by the publication of authentic documents and convinc- 
ing statements, by the proposal of magnificent prices, by the 
active excercise of his influence with those who respected and 
esteemed him, and by personal exertions, which included a 
journey of more than five thousand miles, amidst many difficul- 
ties and dangers, he endeavoured to extend and perpetuate 
among the European population of India the national faith 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 413 

and worship ; 'and, unmoved by the obloquy of opponents, 
and by the want of cordial assistance on the part of some who 
might have been expected to support and cheer him, laboured 
unceasingly to diffuse among millions, immersed in the thick- 
est darkness, "the light that leads to heaven." 

Nor did he labour in vain. Whoever has attended to the 
state of public opinion, and to the course of public events, in 
this country and in India during the last twenty years, must 
perceive the revolution of sentiment and feeling, which has 
taken place in that period upon these important questions. 
The general acknowledgment, and the recognition in Parlia- 
ment, of the solemn duty of attending to the religious interests ■ 
of British India ; the establishment of our Episcopal Church, 
and the facilities afforded to the efforts of Christian piety and 
zeal to promote the knowledge of the gospel in that extensive 
empire ; and the progress which has been actually made in 
this great work, demonstrate the truth of this assertion. It is 
equally certain that to the able and persevering exertions of 
Dr. Buchanan must this happy change of opinion and these 
salutary measures be principally attributed. Of his claim to 
the merit of having successfully pleaded the cause of an Ec- 
clesiastical Establishment for British India, and thus of having 
prepared the way for the most effectual civilization and moral 
improvement of the natives, there can be no doubt; and of his 
zealous participation in the great plan of oriental transla- 
tion, his original proposal of the Malayalim version, and of a 
new edition of the Syriac Testament, and his generous and 
self-denying exertions to promote both those important works, 
are proofs which neither can nor will be forgotten. Millions 
yet unborn will, doubtless, on account of these and many other 
great and truly christian services of this eminent man, have 
reason to rejoice, and will hereafter " rise up and call him 
blessed." 

The qualifications of Dr. Buchanan as a writer were pecu- 
liarly suited to the task which he had undertaken. Bold, per- 
spicuous, and decisive, he is distinguished in all his works by 
the accumulation and display of new and striking facts, connect- 
ed, for the most part, by brief, pointed, and sententious obser- 
vations. Even in his writings, which are more strictly theo- 
logical, he adopted a similar plan ; seldom pursuing a long 
train of reasoning, but laying down certain undoubted facts, 
truths, or principles, and arguing from them directly and prac- 
tically to the conclusions which he had in view. The style, 
however, of Dr. Buchanan, though in general simple and un- 
ambitious, was, as we have more than once had occasion to no- 

Mm2 



414 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

tice, frequently dignified and eloquent. But upon this point 
we may refer with advantage to two most competent and re- 
spectable authorities. The first is that of Dean Milner ; who, 
in speaking of Dr. Buchanan, observes as follows : 

" I perfectly well remember that the circumstance which 
very soon marked his character, even in the early part of his 
residence, as an undergraduate, was plain, sober, good sense, 
with a perspicuity and brevity of expression in all his English 
compositions on religious and moral subjects. He had no pre- 
tensions to elegance ; but he was altogether free from that vi- 
cious, flowery style into which young students are apt to fall. 
Buchanan had always too much matter to allow him to be very 
wordy/' 

The other testimony to which a reference has been made is 
from the review of one of his works in the Christian Observer.* 

" Dr. Buchanan is characterized, as a writer, by ease, and 
by a colouring of the picturesque, with which he contrives to 
invest his subject. Some great writers have laboured to clothe 
fiction in the garb of truth : Dr. Buchanan's peculiarity is, 
that he gives to truth many of the charms and ornaments usu- 
ally appropriatad to fiction. In consequence of this, he has, 
we think, eminently the power of touching some of the best 
feelings of the mind, and of winning over those whom dry 
reasoning might not convince." 

The subjects to which Dr. Buchanan devoted his attention 
did not require or even admit the display of learning, strictly 
so called. It has, however, sufficiently appeared that, without 
affecting the character of a consummate scholar, from which he 
was precluded by the duties of an active and laborious profes- 
sion, his attainments in European literature and science were 
of no ordinary nature, and such as qualified him to sustain 
with credit the important offices to which he was appointed in 
India. His acquaintance with oriental learning, if not critical 
or profound, was extensive and considerable. After making 
some progress in the Persian language, he relinquished it, from 
a conviction of its comparative inutility to himself, soon after 
his arrival in India ; but wilh the Hindostanee he was familiar ; 
and of the Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic, he possessed a very 
competent knowledge. His grand object, however, being po- 
pular and practical, his chief excellence consisted in the collec- 
tion and exibition of important and various information, and in 
bringing it, by convincing and luminous deductions, to bear 
upon some weighty and interesting question. In this talent 

* Vol. xii. p. 242. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 415 

he stands nearly unrivalled ; and to this must be in a great 
measure ascribed the success of his appeals to the understanding 
and the heart upon the great subjects discussed in his writings. 

The sentiments of Dr. Buchanan as a divine have been for 
the most part fully developed in these memoirs. They have 
appeared to be truly scriptural, and in perfect unison with the 
doctrines of the Church of England. With respect to one 
point, which, for the very reason that it is now for the first 
time noticed, evidently formed no prominent part of his creed, 
he was what, for the sake of distinction, may be called mode- 
rately Calvinistic. The avowal of his belief in the doctrine 
of personal election does not occur in any of his publications, 
and was in very few instances introduced into his discourses 
from the pulpit. It appears, however, somewhat remarkably 
in the preamble to his last will ; which is expressed in the fol- 
lowing words : 

" 1, Claudius Buchanan, of Little Ouseburn, make this my 
last will and testament. I commit my soul and body to Jesus 
Christ, the Saviour of lost sinners, of which sinners I am one, 
the chief of sinners ; but I trust I have obtained mercy ; and 
I look for eternal salvation through the obedience of Christ 
unto death, even the death of the cross. I account the origin of 
my salvation to be the love of God the Father, who loved my 
soul in Christ its head before the foundation of the world. I 
renounce all works as a claim of merit. All my works have 
been mixed and sullied with sin and imperfection. Whatever 
has been acceptable to God is his own, even the work of his 
Holy Spirit ; it is not mine. Glory be to God the Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen." 

Such is the emphatic declaration of his faith, with which the 
eminently pious subject of these memoirs bade adieu to every 
earthly concern, and anticipated an eternal world. While the 
grand truths of which it consists accord with the sentiments 
and feelings of every real Christian, it undoubtedly recognizes 
a position with which many wilt not agree. Though Dr. 
Buchanan was thus reserved upon this mysterous subject, it 
was, however, one on which he had thought and read much] 
He left behind him an unfinished work, in which it was fully 
but cautiously discussed. 

It is easy to dispose of this great controverted question in a 
summary way, and to deny that there is any scriptural founda- 
tion for what is termed the Calvinistic view of it : but those 
who are aware of the difficulties in which the whole subject 
is involved, whatever may be their own sentiments respecting 
it, will be neither surprised nor offended at those of Dr. Bu- 



416 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

chanan. That lie was far from beinff the retailer of other men's 
opinions, or from blindly and indiscriminately adhering to the 
tenets of an earthly " master," is evident, not only from the 
general tenor of his character, but from his express declaration 
in a note to one of his published sermons ;* in which, refer- 
ring to the general propensity to render the religion of Christ 
a human system, and to enlist under the banner of some cele- 
brated leader, he observes that the enlightened Christian 
acknowledges no name but that of Christ; and exclaims 
with indignant surprise, " Calvin and Arminius ! Is it not an 
insult to men of intelligence and learning, humbly receiving 
the revelation of God, to suppose that, instead of drawing 
pure water from the fountain-head, they should drink from 
such shallow and turbid streams !" 

Of human guides to the knowledge of divine truth, Dr. 
Buchanan was undoubtedly disposed to follow the decisions 
of the church of which he was a member ; and upon no other 
point more readily than upon the doctrine of the divine 
predestination, as contained in the seventeenth article. He 
considered that admirable composition as expressing nearly in 
the language of scripture the mysterious truth of which it 
has been seen that he declared his own solemn belief; and as 
doing this in so guarded a manner, as to preclude all objection 
and abuse, except such as is corrupt and wilful. Whether 
right or wrong in this interpretation of scripture and of our 
church, may be a matter of discussion ; but if he erred in his 
view of the doctrine in question, let it not be forgotten that he 
erred with many of the greatest divines and brightest ornaments 
of the church ; with Whitgift and Hooker, with Davenant and 
Hall, with Usher and Leighton. And where, it may be safely 
added so far as mere human authority is concerned, are more il- 
lustrious names to be found ? Or who will venture to throw con- 
tempt upon opinions thus accredited and adorned ? 

Dr. Buchanan's view of this profound subject, like every 
other sentiment which he entertained, was far from being 
merely speculative. Whenever he thought it right to inculcate 
it, which, as it has been observed, was but seldom, it was 
not crudely or exclusively ; but with reference to certain specific 
marks of the christian character, in connexion with other 
scriptural truths, and especially such as declare the obligations 
and responsibility of man, as an intelligent and accountable 
being, and in harmony with the general promises of the gospel. 



: The Healing Waters of Bethesda. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 417 

The observations which have been already made, as well as 
the specimens which have been given of his discourses, ren- 
der more than a single remark upon Dr. Buchanan as a preach- 
er unnecessary. His delivery was slow, but impressive, and 
though far from being studied, was yet pleasing and persuasive. 
His sermons were often doctrinal, but more frequently practical 
and experimental ; and generally interesting, either from the 
historical or parabolical form, or from the simple yet energetic 
and affecting style in which they were composed. So far as 
mere popularity of manner is concerned, he may not be con- 
sidered as entitled to much distinction. But if success be ad- 
mitted as any test of merit, he must be allowed to rank high 
as a preacher. Both in India and this country he was honored 
as the instrument of converting many from " the error of their 
way," and of instructing and edifying others in the faith of the 
gospel. 

Preaching was not, however, that by which Dr. Buchanan 
was chiefly distinguished. His peculiar excellencies as a pub- 
lic character were of another kind, and are to be discerned in 
his enlarged and truly christian philanthropy, in the extent 
and acknowledged importance, utility, and disinterestedness of 
his plans, and in the boldness, generosity, and ability, with 
which he laboured to accomplish them. 

Of his fidelity, diligence, and activity, in the fulfilment of 
his official duties, the conduct of Dr. Buchanan, as Vice Pro- 
vost of the college of Fort William, is a striking and satisfac- 
tory instance ; and it is no slight proof of the value of his ser- 
vices, that the year in which they were superseded by the 
abolition of this office is distinctly marked, by a very compe- 
tent witness, as the period of the declining usefulness of that 
important institution.* During his residence in India, inde- 
pendently of his acknowledged value as a public servant, he 
was, according to the memorialist of his excellent colleague, 
" beloved and admired by many of every rank for his fine abil- 
ities, and for the estimable qualities of his heart;" and, after 
his return to this country, his uninterrupted labours in the 
cause of Christianity, amidst accumulated infirmities and sor- 
rows, equally secured him the respect and esteem of all who 
are capable of appreciating pure and exalted virtue. 

Dr. Buchanan, however, sought not "honour from men." 
His faith enabled him to " overcome the world," and rendered 



'' See Mr. Fraser Tytler's " Considerations on the State of India," 



418 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

him comparatively indifferent to its applauses and its frowns. 
He lived 

" As ever in his great Task-master's eye;" 

and appeared on all occasions supremely anxious to fulfil his 
appointed duties, and to hasten towards the heavenly prize. 
" He carried about with him," observed one of his intimate 
friends, " a deep sense of the reality of religion, as a princi- 
ple of action; and, from various conversations which I recol- 
lect with him, I could strongly infer how much he laboured 
to attain purity of heart." His last commonplace book con- 
tains various proofs of his simple, devoted, and progressive 
piety. Observations occur, chiefly founded upon passages of 
scripture, on the great doctrines of the gospel, particularly on 
faith in the atonement, on divine grace, on holiness, on the 
love of God and of our neighbour, on humility, on commu- 
nion with God, and on the world of spirits. 

One brief extract, entitled " A general Topic of Prayer," 
may serve to show the practical piety, and the humble and 
subdued disposition of its author. 

"Let us," says this excellent man, " endeavour to seek 
happiness and contentment in our own place and condition, not 
looking abroad for it. Let us seek and expect it in existing 
circumstances ; contented with little domains, little possessions, 
a little dwelling ; that we may prepare for a less house, a 
smaller tenement under ground." 

If we descend to the more private features of his character, 
the reader of his memoirs must be struck by his patience un- 
der protracted weakness and suffering,' and his submission to 
the will of God under frequent and severe privations of do- 
mestic and personal happiness, and by his extraordinary libe- 
rality and diffusive charity. Of the more remarkable instances 
of these virtues, sufficient notice has been already taken ; but 
Dr. Buchanan w T as cordially and habitually generous; and, in- 
dependently of those munificent acts which were unavoidably 
public, the writer of this narrative has met with many other 
instances, scarcely less noble, of which the world never heard; 
while, in addition to his liberal support of various christian in- 
stitutions which adorn our country, there were, no doubt, nu- 
merous exertions of private benevolence, which were utterly 
unknown. 

It may seem scarcely necessary to add that Dr. Buchanan, 
from deliberate conviction and choice, was warmly and steadily 
attached to the established constitution of his country, both in 
church and state. Of his exertions to extend the one through- 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 419 

out the British empire, the reader needs not to be reminded ; 
while his loyal and zealous support of the other is abundantly 
testified by his Jubilee Sermons, and by various excellent dis- 
courses both in India and in England. 

His social virtues require only to be mentioned. His inva- 
riable kindness and candour, his forbearance and readiness to 
forgive, together with all the charities of domestic life, are ex- 
cellencies which, though happily too common to be much 
dwelt upon, will long live in the recollection and regret of his 
family and friends. To him, indeed, in these, and in some 
other points which have been noticed, may not improperly be 
applied the tribute of a Roman historian to a man of eminent 
merit in degenerate times, " Civis, maritus, gener, amicus, 
cunctis vitas officiis eequabilis, opum contemptor, recti pervicax, 
constans adversus metus."* 

An enemy, however, for such it seems he had, or even a less 
partial friend, might here be disposed to say, with a celebrated 
French annalist,t when describing a man of extraordinary 
qualities, " Tournez la medaille." To such a proposal there 
can in this case be no objection. It is by no means necessary 
to the just appreciation of Dr. Buchanan, to represent him as 
a faultless character ; and if it were possible for him to inter- 
fere with so unwise and unchristian an attempt on the part of any 
of his friends, he would be the first to deprecate and to resist it. 
His defects were such as are incident to the talents and dis- 
positions by which he was distinguished. Naturally bold and 
ardent in his conceptions, feelings, and expectations, he una- 
voidably communicated his own impressions in his delineations 
of human good and evil. Hence he has been accused of sweep- 
ing and undistinguishing severity in his strictures on the eccle- 
siastical negligences and deficiencies of our eastern administra- 
tion, of a dictatorial tone in his suggestions, and of exaggeration 
in his representations of the religious state of India, and of 
the probable results of the measures which he recommended. 

64 II y a dans cela," to adopt an expression of a celebrated 
personage, " un fond de verite." Let us, however, define the 
nature and extent of the admission. If it be meant by such 
animadversions to insinuate that Dr. Buchanan either intention- 
ally, grossly, or even materially misrepresented or over-stated 
any facts or incidents which he has undertaken to relate, his 
friends would have no hesitation in denying the charge, 
until some specific proof of such allegations be adduced ; 
and, in the meantime, they would express their calm and un- 

* Tac. Hist. lib. iv. c. 7. t The Due de Sully. 



420 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

doubting acquiescence in the result of a full and impartial 
examination. It may be added that a man of so much inte- 
grity and ingenuousness as Dr. Buchanan, when, at the close 
of his life, he was urging upon the attention of the missionary* 
the importance of a strict and cautious adherence to simplicity 
and truth in his periodical reports, could scarcely be conscious 
of any personal failure in the performance of a similar duty. 

If the objections in question refer merely to the warmth of 
colouring which pervades his descriptions, the reply has been 
anticipated in the sanguine nature, complexion, and character 
of his mind ; which would as necessarily produce such a style, 
as the opposite temperament of another writer would naturally 
lead to colder and less vivid representations. If this considera- 
tion should be deemed unsatisfactory, it can only be lamented 
that what in writers, who have but little else to recommend 
them, is freely forgiven, and even admired, is severely visited 
upon one whose claims to general credibility and regard are of 
no ordinary magnitude. But it is remarkable that, while the 
world will readily approve the coldest and most inadequate 
statements upon religious subjects, the man who treats them 
with any degree of fervour proportioned to their importance, 
will be discredited and condemned. That Dr. Buchanan 
should have been resisted and misrepresented by those who 
consider his zeal for the conversion and salvation of men ex- 
cessive and enthusiastic, and his plans and expectations vision- 
ary and extravagant, not to say rash and dangerous, ought not 
to excite our surprise. Time, however, and that which it will 
doubtless bring with it, additional information and experience, 
will, it is confidently presumed, gradually dissipate these illu- 
sions, and prove to the satisfaction of all, who are not under 
the influence of inveterate prejudice, the substantial correctness 
as well as importance of his statements ; though, as it will ever 
be more easy to cavil than to disprove, to criticise the produc- 
tions of others than to add to the general stock of knowledge 
and happiness, it is vain to expect that minute and pertinacious 
objectors will either be satisfied or silenced. 

" 1 ever considered," observes a friend,t whose testimony 
is peculiarly valuable, (in speaking of the efforts which have 
been made to depreciate the authority of Dr. Buchanan,) " such 
attempts as the effect of dislike to the plans in which he was 
engaged. I apprehend no one will ever be able to invalidate 
any of the facts recorded by Dr. Buchanan, though some, who 
possess not his spirit, will not view the circumstances as he 

* See page 324. t The Rev. D. Corrie. 



MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 421 

viewed them, and, therefore, will not speak of them as he did." 
This latter remark forms, in fact, the key to the greater part 
of the injurious charges and insinuations which have been cir- 
culated respecting the subject of these memoirs, and at the same 
time furnishes an antidote to their poison. Let but the spirit of 
faith in the gospel, and of love to the souls of men, animate those 
who are now inclined to treat with negligence or contempt the 
statements and reasonings of Dr. Buchanan ; and it may be 
asserted, without incurring the charge of uncharitableness, that 
they will not be long in acknowledging the truth and correct- 
ness of the one, and the force and value of the other. Let 
men, in short, only be convinced that ignorance of the true 
God is the grand cause of all the moral evil in the world ; that 
to " know Him, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, is life 
eternal;" and that multitudes are everywhere ." perishing for 
lack of" that " knowledge ;" and they will at once be dis- 
posed to admit that there can scarcely be any exaggeration in 
describing the wretchedness of those who are destitute of it, or 
any excess in their zeal who labour to make known to every 
creature under heaven that gospel which has the " promise of 
the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 

If the imperfections of Dr. Buchanan, as a private christian, 
have not been studiously exhibited, it is because, from his re- 
markable simplicity, and, if the expression may be allowed, 
his careless confidence of integrity, the defects as well as the 
excellencies of his character can scarcely fail of being suffi- 
ciently noticed by an attentive reader of these memoirs. The 
assistance also of a biographer is seldom required to point out 
the errors of men who have acted a prominent part in the 
world ; while the benefit of such representations, in works not 
sanctioned by infallible authority, is very doubtful ; mankind in 
general standing much more in need of being animated by the 
exhibition of eminent merit, than consoled or gratified by the 
disclosure and delineation of defects inseparable from the con- 
dition even of the most advanced christian. Of those which 
were incident to his own character, no one could be more hum- 
bly sensible than Dr. Buchanan, more watchful for the disco- 
very of unknown faults, more anxious for their correction, or 
more diligent in endeavouring, under the influence of divine 
grace, "to perfect holiness in the fear of God." 

After all the deductions, therefore, which may be due to the 
paramount claims of truth, or urged by the severer demands of 
a less friendly scrutiny, there remains to the subject of these 
memoirs a residue of solid, and undoubted, and indefeasible 
excellence, of which the conviction and estimate will, it is 

n n 



122 MEMOIRS OF DR. BUCHANAN. 

firmly believed, be gradually and certainly augmenting. He 
may be slighted by some, and misrepresented or misunder- 
stood by others ; but among those who can justly appreciate 
distinguished worth, genuine piety, and enlarged and active 
philanthropy, there can surely be but one opinion — that Dr. 
Buchanan was " a burning and a shining light," and a signal 
blessing to the nations of the East. We may, indeed, safely 
leave his eulogy to be pronounced by future generations in 
Great Britain and Hindostan, who will probably vie with each 
other in doing honour to his memory, and unite in venerating 
him as one of the best benefactors of mankind ; as having la- 
boured to impart to those who, in a spiritual sense, are " poor 
indeed," a treasure 



The'geras of India. "- 



' Transcending in its worth 



But if it were possible that men should forget or be insensi- 
ble to their obligations to this excellent person, he is now far 
removed from human censure and applause ; his judgment and 
his work are with God ; his record is on high, and his witness 
in heaven. He has " entered into peace," and will doubtless 
stand in no unenvied lot " at the end of the days ;" when " they 
that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, 
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever 
and ever." 



M®S^WMHWiF^.ILi EM©IMIP t STOMio 



In sure and certain hope 

of a blessed resurrection unto eternal life, 

was deposited here the mortal body of 

MARY, 

the beloved wife of the Rev. Dr. Claudius Buchanan, 

of Moat Hall, 

and youngest daughter of Henry Thompson, Esq. of Kirby Hali ; 

who died on the 23d day of March, 1813, 

in the 36th year of her age. 

By the grace given unto her, this excellent woman 

adorned by her conduct the doctrine of the gospel. 

Sincerity, honesty, and simplicity 

w r ere the characters of her mind, and she 

delighted to serve God, 

" who desireth truth in the inward parts." 

Exercised by personal and domestic suffering, she was 

early weaned from the love of the world : 

Her affections were set on things which are above, 

and she was enabled to overcome the world, 

for she was born of God. 

" For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world : and 

this is the victory that overcometh the world, 

even our faith." 1 John v. 4. 

Close by her side lie her two infant children, 

CLAUDIIJS BUCHANAN, 

aged three days, 

born 28th December, 1810. 

And his infant brother, 

who lived and died the 27th Feb. 1813. 

Thrice happy infants ! 

That saw the light, and turned their eyes aside 

From our dim regions to the eternal Sun, 



Sacred to the memory of 
CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D. 

Late Vice-Provost of the College of Fort William in Bengal, 

whose eminent character as a Christian, 

zeal for the cause of his God and Saviour, 

and unwearied endeavours to promote it in the earth, 

deserve to be had in everlasting remembrance. 

He was a native of Scotland, 

but educated at Queen's College, Cambridge. 

During the twelve years of his abode in India, 

" his spirit was stirred in him," 

while he beheld millions of his fellow subjects, 

under a Christian government, 

as sheep without a shepherd, and perishing 

for lack of knowledge. 

To excite the attention of the British nation to this sad spectacle, 

he devoted his time, his talents, and a 

large portion of his income. 

By his " Christian Researches," and other 

valuable publications, 

he pleaded the cause of neglected India, nor pleaded in vain ; 

Britain was roused to a sense of her duty, 

and sent forth labourers to the harvest. 

Though gentle and unassuming, 

he was bold and intrepid in this work of faith and labour of love ; 

and exhibited mental vigour to the last, 

amidst great bodily debility and severe affliction. 

In social and domestic life he was holy and exemplary, 

full of mercy and good works : 

Yet in lowliness of mind, he renounced all dependance upon 

the excellencies which others saw and admired in him, 

and looked for eternal salvation through the 

obedience unto death of Christ. 

He departed this life February 9, 1815, aged 48, 

at Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire ; 

where he was superintending an edition of the Syriac Scriptures ; 

and was buried near the remains of his amiable wife, 

whose virtues he has recorded on the adjoining stone. 

" They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, 

and in their death they were not" long " divided." 



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